


Life Unexpected

by Lilbear831



Category: General fiction - Fandom, No Fandom, Not fanwork, Original Fiction - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Drama, F/M, Gen, General fiction, Love, Marriage, Parenthood, Running Away, Teen Pregnancy, Twins, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 07:52:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5040157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilbear831/pseuds/Lilbear831
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twin sisters who typically don't get along find themselves closer than ever, thanks to a not-so-faithful boyfriend, and not-so-safe encounters. The twins bond and become closer than ever once they're in charge of lives that aren't their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bree was having her friend Megan over. Again; for the third time this week. Mom never cared when we had sleepovers, or which friend we had over. And I was sure getting tired of Megan. What makes it worse is she’s my best friend’s older sister. My little sister is best friends with my best friend’s older sister, and that’s why I hate Megan. Bree told Megan I came home totally wasted one night, and, Megan being the goody-two-shoes nineteen year old she is, flipped out and started ranting at me. While I was still drunk. In my drunken stupor, I cursed her out, called her a whore, etc. Ever since then, we’ve hated each other.  
But anyway, back to the point. Megan also liked to infuriate me over my boyfriend of six months, Michael Darien. He was also her ex-boyfriend. “So, Amelia, how’re you enjoying my sloppy-seconds?” She taunted, and Bree did nothing to reign her in. “He’s pretty good in bed… But you wouldn’t know that, now would you?” She continued.  
Both she and Bree had the virginity thing they could hang over my head; they didn’t have their virginity, while I still did. I wasn’t happy my younger twin lost her virginity before me, but I didn’t really care that her whore friend did. “I’m actually pretty happy being a virgin. Don’t have to worry about looking like a whore like you do, Megan!” I said perkily and then rolled my eyes.  
“Please.” She scoffed. “Put that front up all you want, Amelia. We both know you’re not good enough to get someone into bed with you.” She snorted and I flipped her off. She was about to continue, and then I lost it on her.  
I got up from my bed, and went over to Bree’s where they were both sitting. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but I am positive you need to get out of my room, and preferably my house, before I hurt you.” I started to draw a fist back and that’s when Bree finally stepped in.  
“Ames, chill out! I’ll take my stuff and go over to Megan’s! Geez!” Bree shrieked angrily. “I don’t know what the hell your problem is!” She yelled at me before leaving to go to Megan’s.  
There was only one thing Bree and I had in common, besides our looks; our temper. (We’ve had so many fights, I’ve lost track. They’re always the same. We don’t talk for weeks on end, and she stays with Megan.) Anything else was a complete opposite; she dyed her hair from a light brown, to platinum blonde, I dyed my normally light brown hair, black. She’s rather preppy, while I’m a flat out tomboy. She liked high-heels; I liked high-top Converse. She straightened her hair, I teased mine. Everything about us was opposite, despite us being twins. I even wore colour contacts to blur the likeness more. Our eyes were normally an amber colour, but I put contacts in to make mine blue.  
Our mother was a terrible alcoholic, so she never intervened in any of this; we were pretty much raising ourselves, so we dictated how we looked. We were lucky our family was rich; mom didn’t have a job, and dad left when Bree and I were five. That’s about the same time mom turned into an alcoholic. It progressively got worse over two years, so by the time she was completely gone, Bree and I could take care of ourselves.  
“Ames?” A voice coaxed me out of my thought process. I looked up to see who; it was Anna. Megan’s little sister, and my best friend. “I heard what happened. Your sister is terrible!” She had a duffle and was in sweats and a cami.  
“Tell me something I don’t know.” I turned my TV off as she threw her stuff on Bree’s bed.  
“Elephants have four knees.” She said randomly, catching me off guard.  
“What?”  
“Never mind. I heard you drew a fist on her. Good going, that bitch needs some brains knocked into her. She’s retarded, I swear.” Anna hated her sister as much as I did. “But, Bree and Megan are there, and we’re here. Shall we?” She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed me one.  
“We shall.” I smiled and took a drag as she lit the end of mine. “God, these are so relaxing.” I sighed and went to open a window. “Isn’t it funny how we both have demon spawns for siblings?” I laughed as we listened to some music.  
“I think so! So, I’m actually over here on account of Michael. He wants to meet up with you, in, oh say, forty minutes?” She shrugged and braced herself for my reaction.  
“Forty minutes?! I can’t get ready in that short of time, I gotta shower, do my hair, makeup, get dressed, oh my-.” Anna cut me off.  
“Chill out Ames! It’s Friday night, and, well, he wants you the way you are.” She smiled, but I didn’t return it.  
“I cannot meet Michael, looking like this.” I was in sweats, a ripped t-shirt, had absolutely no makeup on, and my hair was in a messy ponytail. Even my few piercings (belly button, industrial, spider bites, and earrings) were out. There was no way I could meet up with Michael like this.  
“You look fine. And, if he really loves you, he won’t care what you look like.” She reassured me with a little teasing slap on the butt. “He said to meet up with him over by CVS, and he’ll lead the way from there.” CVS was the halfway point between Michael and I’s houses.  
I took a few calming breaths. “Alright. Cover for me if mom decides to sober up?” I asked as I headed downstairs.  
“Of course!” Anna yelled back and I heard her turn my Xbox on.  
I grabbed my keys from the key rack and went out to my black Lexus. I bought it for myself when I got my license. I drove up to CVS, and there he was, waiting, by his silver pickup truck. The moonlight made his normally sandy-blonde hair look silver and his sea-blue eyes almost non-existent. He smiled when I got out of my car. “Amelia.” He breathed.  
“Michael.” I responded, smiling. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a kiss. I looked at him; he was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. I blushed at how… Not dressed I was. “Anna told me not to get changed… So I kinda look like crap.” I smiled at him.  
“Do not. You look positively beautiful.” He wrapped his finger at the hem of my t-shirt and kissed me again. I shivered; it was late November, and was getting rather chilly. “Oh, look, you have goose bumps. Do you wanna go sit in your car?” He asked thoughtfully.  
“Sure.” We got in my car and turned on the heat. “That’s a lot better.” I sighed when we both moved to the back seat and put his arms around me to help warm me up. “Why does it have to get so cold so early here?” I chattered.  
“I don’t know, but I like it.” I gave him a questioning look. “The sooner it gets cold, the sooner I can put my arms around you.” He had a light country drawl to his voice that made him so easy to get mesmerized over. I smiled and kissed him gently on the lips.  
That’s what started the second wave of heat in the car. He started moving his lips against mine, and slid his tongue gently across my lips, just begging for me to open them. I obliged and his tongue searched my mouth, while his hands searched my body. I put my fingers through the belt loops on his pants and pulled him onto me. He was straddling me when he put his hands on my hips, underneath my shirt. I gasped and he paused, looking into my eyes. The deep blue just screamed, Can we? I bit my lip and thought for a second. Then I finally nodded.  
I wasn’t sure how I felt about losing my virginity in the back of my car, but I was happy it was to Michael and not some man-whore. Just as I was about to go home an hour after the ‘main event’, Michael hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear. “I love you Amelia Rose.” He gave me one last kiss, got back into his pickup truck, and drove back home. I got into my Lexus and just stared at the back seat for a second or two. Smiling, I drove back home, and Anna was still awake in my room, despite it being 2 in the morning.  
“Oh my gosh.” Anna gasped when she saw me. A big grin crept across her face, and she got off Bree’s bed. “So, how’d things go with your man?” She asked, sounding like she already knew. I opened my mouth to answer, but she cut me off. “How was it?” She asked giddily.  
“You knew?” I asked as I laid out on my bed.  
“I helped him plan the night, so yes.” She grinned cheekily. “So, how was it?” She repeated excitedly.  
“Oh, god, it was… Inexplicable. It was amazing, and he was so gentle, and, and… I’m so glad it was him.” I gushed. “I’m not sure how I feel about it being in the back of my car, but it was still amazing nevertheless.” I sighed happily.  
“Now you can shut our sisters up!” She looked over at me happily.  
“No!” I scrambled upright. “You cannot tell anyone! Not your sister, not mine, not your other friends, no one! I’m not looking like your sister or mine. I am not a whore.” I said quickly. “You have to swear you won’t tell anyone, Anna.” I pleaded.  
“Alright, Ames. I swear.” She put her pinky finger out for a pinky promise; you’re never too old for a pinky promise. I chuckled and locked my pinky with hers. “Can I at least bug Michael about it?” She asked. She and Michael were best friends, so Anna loved messing with him about our relationship.  
“As long as no one else is around to hear, sure.” I said unsurely. “I’d be so screwed if Bree or your sister found out. They’d spread it like an STD, which they both probably have, around school.” I chewed on my lip nervously.  
“It’ll be fine Ames.” She yawned. “I dunno about you, but I am beat. Night Ames.” She got under Bree’s comforter and went to sleep. I sat up, awake, for another hour thinking and replaying the night in my head, before I followed Anna’s lead and went to sleep.  
I didn’t see Bree again until Monday, and it was only for two class periods. She didn’t talk to me, and I didn’t talk to her; I started one of our many famous fights. Michael was in all my classes except for two, so I just kept my focus on him instead of Bree purposely kicking my seat. Michael, Anna and I met up at lunch in between third and last block.  
“Hey bone boy.” Anna teased Michael, and Michael turned an adorable shade of red.  
“Quiet…” Michael muttered under his breath. “You helped set it up, so don’t even think about teasing me about it.” He said and then put his arm around me.  
“Oh, Michael, don’t you know I’m gonna tease you about it all the time, for that exact reason.” Anna giggled and winked at me. “You couldn’t even get her back to your house? Lame.” Anna gently nudged my foot under the table, trying to get me to play along.  
“Yeah, the back of my car, Michael? C’mon.” I rolled my eyes playfully. “I bet even my sister got it better than that.” He looked over at me shockedly, his mouth hanging wide open. “I’m kidding!” I started laughing and Michael rolled his eyes.  
“You guys are so cruel to me.” He whined playfully, and I sat up a little to kiss his cheek. “Well, that makes it a little better.”  
“Careful now, Amelia. You’re in school. Don’t wanna make him too happy.” Anna and I lost it and burst into a laughing fit. Michael slipped a hand into my back pocket, making me gasp and stop laughing. He was looking at me, and I blushed.  
“Ha, look who got who this time.” He raised a thin eyebrow and kissed my head. He then looked at his watch. “C’mon, let’s get outta here before the bell rings.” We all stood up and went to our last class of the day, which we all had together. After school, both Michael and I had work, so we kissed goodbye for the day, and went our separate ways.


	2. Chapter 2

Three weeks have passed since Bree and I’s fight started. We haven’t slept under the same roof for three weeks, either. She’d come home, and I’d leave for Anna’s. When I was at Anna’s, Megan was at my house, and so on and so forth. It was early December, and Bree and I still weren’t talking. This was our longest fight to date.   
I sighed as I stood up from my kneeling position in front of the toilet; I’ve been throwing up on and off all day, for the past three days. I’ve also been extremely tired, and getting barely any sleep at night. “I’m just getting sick. It is flu season.” I told myself before going back over to my bed and flopping down next to Anna.  
“You threw up again, didn’t you?” Anna asked sympathetically.  
I nodded and sighed. “I hate throwing up. So much. Thank god it’s Saturday and we don’t have to go to school.” I tossed Anna my other Xbox controller.  
“Why do you think you’re throwing up?” Anna wondered.  
“It’s flu season, and I didn’t get my shot. I’m probably getting sick.” I shrugged.  
“Did Michael use protection?” Anna blurted out, catching me off guard.  
“Of course he did!” I thought back to the night in the back seat of my car, but, honestly, I couldn’t remember him pausing for that sort of thing. “Listen, if it continues for a week, I’ll get a test. Okay?” I raised my eyebrows.  
“Okay. You just have to look at the possibilities. You’re probably right though; you’re probably just getting sick.” She shrugged and turned her attention back to the game we were playing. I focused my attention there too. Most of it anyway. Anna had just gotten me thinking; what if I really am pregnant?   
Another week had passed, and Bree and I were still not talking. Michael has also stopped talking to me. I was, of course, still throwing up. I stayed home from school twice this past week, and left early the other three days. I was seriously afraid for either my health… Or a baby’s.  
“Amelia, just do it.” Anna urged me, trying to push me out of my own car. “The longer you don’t know, the more you could be possibly hurting a baby.”   
My eyes widened and I got out of the car, Anna following close behind. We were up at the CVS where all of this started, and the thought of that alone had my heart pounding. “Anna… What if I really am…?” I asked, my lower lip threatening to begin trembling.  
“I can’t answer that until you know for sure. Just go pay for this.” She handed me a rectangular box, and nudged me towards the check out counter.  
“I can’t…. You do it.” I gave her some money, and shoved the box back into her hands.  
“Oh Amelia…” She rolled her eyes and walked right up to the clerk. Despite the moment, I had to laugh; a girl barely 5’1 with dark purple hair, and who was extremely pale, was buying a pregnancy test. It was quite a sight to see.  
I felt bad for making her do it when the cashier gave her an odd look, but I was also glad it wasn’t me receiving that look. She gave the cashier the money, and we went back out to my car. “Thanks Anna. You’re awesome.”  
“I know. Now, drive us back to your house, and we’ll put an end to this. Mkay?” Anna sat back in the passenger’s seat and sighed. Anna didn’t say anything else until we got back to my house. “Just go take the test. That’s the only thing to do right now.” She pushed me into my bathroom.  
I locked the door and took the test. I set a timer on my phone for five minutes, and stared at the bright blue walls of Bree and my bathroom. I put the used test in the sink, and just sat on the floor with my knees pulled into my chest, my head resting on my knees. My phone vibrated, and I stood up slowly, and shaky.   
I reached down for the test, and shut my eyes. When I knew the results were looking up at me, I opened my eyes and stared down hard. That little pink plus sign stared back, just as hard. I shook my head once, just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. But, just my luck, I wasn’t. I was pregnant. I was going to be a mother. “Amelia? Can I come in?” Anna’s voice called gently from the other side of the door.  
I unlocked the door, just before I fell down to my knees, sobbing. Anna opened the door, and slid into the bathroom. She looked around and then looked down when her foot collided with my calf. “Oh, honey.” She sat down next to me, immediately knowing the results from my current state; on my knees, my face in my hands, crying into my hands.  
“Anna, I cannot be a teen mother. I’m only seventeen… Ohmygod, how am I gonna tell Michael? And my sister. And my mom? How-.” Anna’s grip on my shoulders snapped me out of going into hysterics.  
“Calm down, dear. There’s one simple solution to it all…” She trailed off, meeting my eyes. The deep brown was full of concern and worry.  
My hands flew down to cover my stomach. “No. I would never do that.” I said, almost hostile.   
“Then it looks like you’re going to be a mother. There’s no other way, unless you wanna do adoption.” She suggested.  
I swallowed hard, and thought about that. Could I really give up something I carried so close to my heart for nine months? “No, Anna… I’m gonna be a mother. There’s really no other option, for a girl like me.” I put my head back in my hands and cried again.  
“I suggest you tell Michael first. And I’d do it tonight, so no one except for me will know before he does. That’ll just blow things out of proportions.” She suggested while gently rubbing my back, trying to calm me down.  
“You’re ri-right.” I stuttered and slowly pushed myself up to standing. I looked in the mirror and wiped off whatever makeup had run down my face. I ran a quick brush through my hair and got my keys off my nightstand. “You can stay here, right?” I looked at Anna, who nodded solemnly. “If my mom even bothers to ask, tell her I’m with Michael.” I went outside to my car.  
It was dark when I pulled up to Michael’s, and only his truck was parked in the driveway; he was home alone. I took a deep breath and got out of my car. The walk up to his door was too quick for my liking, and I found myself hovering a fist in front of his door. I could not tell him anything, and just run away with my baby… I knocked on the door.  
I heard quite a bit of thumps and crashes in the house, and heard a couple of voices as well. It was a good minute or two before he answered the door. My teeth were chattering, and I was shivering, hands folded across my lower stomach. “Oh hey… Amelia.” His breath smelled of alcohol, his hair was a mess, and he only had on a pair of jeans. “Come… Come in.” He slurred.  
I sat in an armchair across from his couch, and he sat on the couch with a goofy, drunken grin on his face. “I have to tell you something.” I said shakily.   
“Go ahead.” He said without breaking his grin.  
I took a few deep breaths, already feeling the sobs coming from my chest. “I’m pregnant.” I finally spit out.  
That sobered him up; he was completely focused, and no longer grinning. “You’re… You’re...” He started and stood up from the couch. He ran a tired hand through his already tousled hair. His lack of response had my lower lip quivering; I was trying so hard not to cry. He noticed this and took my hands. He pulled me to standing and wrapped his arms around me. “It’ll be alright.” He murmured in my ear, stroking my hair.  
“I’m keeping it. I’m gonna be a teen mother, whether people like it or not.” I backed away and took one of his hands. I put it against my lower stomach, and looked up at him. He was completely unaffected, and even pulled his hand away.  
“Would you like to stay the night?” He asked, heading upstairs. I shook my head. “Alright then. I’ll see you soon?” He asked emotionlessly, and I just shrugged and went back out to my car.  
I sat down in the driver’s seat, put my head on the steering wheel, and started sobbing for what seemed like the hundredth time today; I had a baby daddy who didn’t even care. After what felt like hours, I picked my head up off the wheel, wiped my eyes, and drove back home.  
Anna was on my bed, playing my Xbox. “Hey, how’d it go?” She asked her voice and eyes sympathetic.  
“Terrible… He was drunk, and he doesn’t even care!” I got into some pajamas and laid down next to her. “What did I do to deserve such a crappy life?” I cried. Again. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m even still alive.” I sobbed.  
“Don’t talk like that!” Anna threw down her Xbox controller. “You not only have to take care of your life, but a baby’s now too. By taking care of yourself, you take care of that baby. Do not stop caring for yourself. That’s like not caring for your child. Got it?”   
I stifled a giggle; Anna, the short and pale girl, was actually scaring me a little. I’d never seen her so serious. “I got it. Don’t worry. It’s just… Sometimes, I feel like I’m the biggest screw up out there. I mean, we can’t even blame this on my parents. Dad’s… Gone. And mom pretty much is too. I raised myself like this… I hate myself sometimes.” I racked my brain, but my explanation was done.  
“None of that’s true, Ames, and you know that. But whatever you decide about yourself, do not let it reflect in that baby’s health. Promise me that.” Anna demanded.  
“I promise.” I sat up, and looked around; I heard the door slam downstairs. Several seconds Bree appeared in the doorway. She immediately glared at both me and Anna. “What do you want Bree?” I asked snarkily. Her glare eased up for a second, but it returned with a little more fire. “What?” I glared back, with just as much fire.  
“Go to Anna’s.” She said flatly.  
“What?! You are not kicking me out of my own room, and my house!” I screamed at her, and got up to be at eye level with her. I saw a gleam of something you never got out of Bree, in her eyes; weakness. “Fine. C’mon Anna.”  
Anna followed behind me, not saying anything out of surprise. I never listened to Bree. But that look in her eye, I felt like if I didn’t, she’d burst into tears. Even if we were fighting, I didn’t wanna see my little sister cry. “What was that all about? You never listen to Bree!” Anna yelled once we got in my car and started driving to her house.  
“She had this look in her eye… If I had argued, I felt like I woulda made her cry. She looked on the verge of tears. Even if we’re fighting, I don’t wanna see her cry.” I explained. Anna didn’t say anything after that. I didn’t know exactly what was wrong, but I knew something had happened to my little sister.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Bree and I have been fighting for nearly a month and a half now. I’ve been thinking on what to do once I start showing, and finally came up with a workable plan; my cousin Mandy had an apartment in North Carolina, and I was gonna move in with her. I’d tell my mom I wanted the residency for a North Carolina college. My plan had been approved.  
I was out driving by myself one Friday night; about two weeks after I found out I was pregnant. Anna had to work, and Bree was at Megan’s, I was assuming. I pulled into my driveway and Bree’s car was there. I went inside and there was no sign of Megan or mom, so I went upstairs to Bree and my room.   
Bree was in our bathroom, and I noticed a familiar rectangular box on Bree’s bed. I remembered I never threw away my pregnancy test, and got extremely nervous. I quietly went over to the bed and picked up the box. It was a different brand than mine had been, so I relaxed a little. I tensed up again when Bree came out of the bathroom, eyes wide. “Am-Amelia!” Her eyes went down to the box in my hands.  
“Uh, Bree?” I held up the box. “Is there something going on?” I asked looking between the box, bathroom, and her.  
“Your boyfriend may’ve gotten me pregnant.” She whispered, that same weakness appearing in her eyes from a few weeks ago.   
“Michael? What on earth were you doing with my boyfriend?” I screamed at her.  
“It’s really not what you think… It w-was prac-practically rape.” I noticed her lower lip began quivering, and I knew she wasn’t lying to me. I looked at her in shock and she began to cry.   
As much as we fought and stuff, she was my little sister, and I couldn’t stand seeing her cry. I dropped the box and pulled her into a hug. “Bree… If it makes you feel any better…” A timer in the bathroom cut me off. Bree wriggled out of my hug and got her pregnancy test from the bathroom counter. She came back out, empty handed, but crying even harder. I saw the test on the floor, and barely made out what was on it: +. “Oh, Bree.” I hugged her again.  
“I’m pregnant. Seventeen, and pregnant. What am I gonna do? I hate him!” She screamed and continued crying. She put her arms around me too and cried into my shoulder.   
“But as I was saying… If it makes you feel any better, I’m pregnant too. It’s Michael’s as well.” I averted my attention to the floor, not wanting to face the look I knew Bree was giving me.   
“But I thought you were a virgin…” Bree whispered, almost sounded shocked,  
“I was until about a month ago. Michael and I… the back of my car… All that jazz and here we are now. Both pregnant off the same guy.” I chuckled at how stupid that really sounded. Twin sisters pregnant off the same boy? Unreal.   
“That is pretty crazy, but it’s true. How’ve you been hiding it from me so long?” Bree asked, wiping her eyes, the tears finally stopped flowing.   
“Uh, Bee, we haven’t been in the same house, let alone the same room, in over a month. Plus, I haven’t started showing yet, so it isn’t all that hard to hide. The only problem is the morning sickness while I’m in school.” I explained, recalling all the times I just bolted out of class, ignoring teachers yelling at me to sit down.   
“But what’re you gonna do when you do start showing?” She averted her eyes down to my stomach. It was getting tight, but it hadn’t started expanding yet; I probably had another month of living here before I had to leave for Mandy’s. If I got lucky, I could spend Christmas at home, and leave for Mandy’s between Christmas and New Year’s.   
“Well, I talked to mom about getting residency for a North Carolina college by moving in with Mandy. Both mom and Mandy agreed on it, so when I show, I’m moving out of here and into Mandy’s. It’s only a few hours from here, so I’ll be able to come see you and Anna.”   
“Why would you come see me? Can’t I come with you?” Bree’s face lit up.  
“No.” I growled. “I’ve had you tagging along with me until about a year ago. Do you think I want you coming with me when I’m finally getting out of here?” I yelled.  
“C’mon Ames. It was your boyfriend who did it. Please.” Bree’s lower lip quivered again, the weakness reappearing in her eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes and my strength waivered.  
“Fine. It’s okay with me, but ask mom and Mandy. And lie to Mandy especially. I was gonna tell her when I was there, and beg her not to tell mom. With our differences in conception time, I should get about a month at Mandy’s by myself. Got it?” I glared gently at her. She nodded and wiped her eyes again. “Now, let’s go kick Michael’s face in.” I smiled and we both went out to my car, prepared to beat up my now ex-boyfriend.   
“So you get the plan right?” I asked my sister, who didn’t seem too excited about the plan I had come up with for this.  
“Unfortunately.” She grumbled, irritated. “I don’t get why I have to kiss him.” She whined.  
“Make it seem like you actually want him; that a few weeks ago wasn’t rape.” I reminded her. “Now go. I’ll be up there in fifteen minutes. Make it believable.” I gave her a reassuring slap on the butt as she got out of the car.  
I sat in my car for fifteen minutes, listening to my Chelsea Grin CD, counting down each minute. When the clock read 8:37, fifteen minutes from when Bree got out of the car, I silently got out of the car, and walked straight into the house. Michael, of course, was straddling my little sister on the couch. “Michael Darien!” I screamed at him.  
He hopped off my sister quickly with a wild look in his eye. “Amelia. I swear it is not what it looks like.”  
“Really? Because, it looks like my boyfriend taking advantage of my younger sister.” I put my hands on my hips and stared at him hard.  
“She came onto me Amelia, I swear.” He pleaded, trying to come close to me. I stepped back and he looked hurt.   
“Even if she came onto you, which I know she didn’t, why didn’t you try and get away? She’s my sister, and I’m your girlfriend; not her. Michael, I don’t know what you said to her-.” Bree cut me off.  
“He told me you two broke up, and that this would be okay. I still didn’t like it though. I didn’t think it was okay. But do you really think I, a one hundred and thirty pound seventeen year old, could push a two hundred pound nineteen year old off of me? No.” Bree said, improvising as she went.  
“Thanks for that information Bree.” I smiled at her, and turned to Michael, smiling cruelly at him. “As I was saying, Michael, we’re through. Your “we broke up” crap isn’t crap anymore. Happy now? You can go screwing around now without any reprimand later.” Bree and I started to leave when I remembered something I wanted to tell him. “You stay away from us, and our kids, okay?”  
Bree’s hand tightened on mine, and I realized she never told him she was pregnant. “Wait, Bree. Amelia. You’re both pregnant?”   
Bree choked back a sob. “Yeah. We are. And like I said; stay the hell away from us. And our kids.” He came closer, so I did the only thing I found appropriate at the moment; I kicked him right where the sun doesn’t shine. He hissed in pain before crumpling to the couch. “Stay away from us, got it?” I asked rhetorically before both Bree and I went back out to my car.   
When we were both seated in the car, getting ready to pull off, Bree finally spoke again. “Oh my gosh, Ames, that was amazing. I feel amazing right now. Where did that genius come from?” She teased, starting to laugh almost hysterically.   
“I just said what I felt. He is so full of bullshit. He always has been, now that I look back on it. I guess it all just hit me in there and, boy, was I furious. I just let it all out and let him have it.” I started driving back home.   
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the driveway and, for once, mom was home. “Wow, mom’s home on a Friday night…” Bree trailed off in awe.  
“Sure, she’s home, but is she sober?” I questioned, doubting my own question. We walked in the house, and, doubt aside, mom was sober.   
“Where’ve you two been? I’ve been looking for you!” She didn’t yell, but she wasn’t exactly quiet either.  
“We… Went out for food, seeing as how you’ve never been sober enough to make us a meal.” I replied and lied snarkily.  
“I see two problems with that sentence, Amelia Rose. One, you two never get along. And two, you will not speak to me that way ever again. I am your mom, and will be treated as such. Get up to your room, you little brat.” She pointed at the stairs, directing my path.  
“Gladly, but before I do; since when you have you been my ‘mom’? You may be my mother, but ever since dad left us, that’s all you’ve ever been. You’re not mom, mommy, or any form of the word. You’re just an alcoholic old bitch!” I yelled at her before storming up the stairs, making sure to stomp down hard on each one.  
Up in my room, I grabbed a duffel bag from my closet and started throwing some clothes into it; I was so out of here. I slammed chest first into Bree on my way out of my room. “Amelia, you can’t leave again! She’ll be drunk in an hour and won’t remember any of it!” Bree reasoned with me.  
“I don’t care. I’ve lived with her alcoholic ass for ten years, without that man a girl should call her hero. I have no knight in shining armor that is daddy. Undiluted, wasted mom was all I got. And I’m so done with it! I am out of here!” I pushed past her, but she grabbed my wrist.  
“Don’t leave me here with her. I’m not leaving, so please stay,” her grip tightened on my wrist, and I winced in both pain and regret; I had been so quick to up and out, I didn’t even think of Bree.   
I threw the duffel back behind me. “Fine. I’m only staying for you. If you hadn’t stopped me, I’d be long gone,” I sighed. “Can I at least go to Anna’s for tonight? I’ll be back in the morning, I promise. I just have to get out of this house for the night.”  
“I’m going with you. I’ll stay with Meghan. And I promise I won’t let her bother you anymore,” Bree smiled halfheartedly.   
“Alright. Hurry up and pack for the night,” I pushed her into the room and grabbed my duffel bag. “I’ll be waiting in the car.”


	4. Chapter 4

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t start showing before Christmas, so I had to spend another Christmas at home. And this one wasn’t different from the past years; Mom was hung over Christmas morning, so Bree and I were left to our few presents on our own. We only got cash and checks this Christmas, which both of us found extremely useful. After about noon, we went over to Anna and Meghan’s house to exchange our gifts accordingly. Anna, being the little shit she always is, got me a gift card to a maternity store. Of course, Meghan and I didn’t exchange gifts, but we were getting along better now. Fortunately for me, an extra few days was all I needed to start showing; I was moving to Mandy’s on New Year’s Eve.  
December 31st, and I was loading up my car for the two hour drive to Mandy’s. It’d be strange, leaving a three story house for a small apartment, and it’d be strange not sharing a room with my twin. When the last bag was put into the trunk, Bree came running outside, crying like a baby. “Amelia, don’t go!” Bree sobbed dramatically, throwing her arms around me.  
I pushed her off, gently of course, and laughed. “Bee, I gotta go. Would you rather me here, as a corpse, or at Mandy’s, when you’ll get to see me in less than a month?”  
“At Mandy’s,” she grumbled, letting go of me. “Now, get going, I’ll see you in a month.” She lightly hugged me again, letting go almost instantly. “Love you, sis.” She smiled; for once, it felt right to hear her call me her sister.  
“I’m stopping off at Anna’s first, gotta say goodbye to the little weirdo,” I chuckled, sitting down into the driver’s seat. “Later, Bee,” I said, throwing the car into reverse and backing out of the driveway.  
Anna reacted the same way Bree did, telling me not to leave, that she’ll miss me, etc. It was easier to get away from Anna, though, so her house only took fifteen minutes. By three o clock that afternoon, I was down in North Carolina, knocking on my older cousin’s door. “Oh my God, Amelia,” Mandy whispered, her eyes travelling down to my stomach. I grinned sheepishly and waited for the riot act; my cousin was the mother-type. “Just here for residency, are you? Do you really think this apartment can hold a crib and a baby? Does your mom know? God, that’s why you’re here, I know. Oh my God, Amelia,” she ranted, and fell silent.  
“You done reading me the riot act, cuzzo? Yes, I’m pregnant. I don’t know if your apartment will hold two cribs. No, mom doesn’t know. Now, can I get a proper greeting for a cousin you haven’t seen in years?” I teased.  
Mandy advanced forward and hugged me loosely. “Amelia Rose. Did you say two cribs?!” She screamed in my ear, suddenly catching on to what I said.  
“Bree might be a little pregnant too…” I trailed off, pushing into the apartment, searching for my new room.  
“You guys are both pregnant. Wow. I almost expected this from Bree, her being friends with that Meghan and all. But you, I never saw coming. How far along are you?” She said, studying my somewhat swollen stomach.   
“I’m about two months along, but I haven’t been to a doctor for an ultrasound or anything. I was hoping to get that done here,” I said.   
“Yeah, there’s an office here. And a hospital nearby. So, I bet you wanna get settled in. I’ll leave you be. Does pizza sound good for dinner, tonight?” She asked, hovering in the doorway.   
“Sounds perfect,” I said, kneeling down in front of my suitcase and dresser. I took out my clothes and began setting them in the drawers, organizing this way and that. I’d be moved in here in no time.  
After unpacking all of my things, I went out into the kitchen area of the apartment. Mandy was sitting on the counter ordering our pizza. “I could really go for some wings,” I whispered, earning an eye roll from Mandy, who then proceeded to add wings to the order. “Thank you,” I said and went into the living room. After a few minutes of watching whatever Mandy left on T.V., Mandy appeared.  
“So, whenever Bree gets here, we’ll be splitting rent three ways. I only feel its fair, considering you’re both popping babies out sooner or later,” she began, sitting in her spot on the couch.  
“Fair enough. I also told Bree we’d be paying for our own groceries, so here’s five bucks for the wings, and the other five for half the pizza,” I gave her a ten from my wallet.   
“Thanks,” she pocketed it and looked down. “So, I have off tomorrow. Do you wanna-.”  
I cut her off and said, “Like I said earlier, I’m in need of an ultra sound. I never got one when I first found out.” She went to open her mouth and I cut her off, “I know, I know. But I could never bring myself to call. Too many people knew slash know mom.”  
“Well, alright, there’s a place nearby. We’ll see if they’ll take you as a walk in. If not, we’ll schedule an appointment, then maybe go to the mall? I noticed you packed rather light for moving in.”  
“Yeah, I figured I’d be growing out a lot of my stuff,” I said, resting a hand on my stomach.   
“Makes sense. So are you excited about the baby?” She asked, her voice taking on an almost nervous tone.  
I thought for a few seconds. “At first, I wasn’t. I was almost… Ashamed? But, honestly, the drive down here made me rethink it a lot. I’ve always wanted kids, and sure it’s a little soon, but why not now. I turn 18 before it’s born so my trust fund is available for it, and even then, mom doesn’t even monitor her account anymore. I think things will turn out pretty well for me and the little thing,” I said.  
“Not to be… Rude, I guess, but you really don’t plan on raising it here, right?”   
“No, I figured once Bree and I have them, we’d find apartments of our own, or something similar.” Just as I went to continue talking, there was a knock at the door, signaling our food was here. Mandy went to get the door while I got plates and such. When she brought the pizza in and we served ourselves, we went back to the living room and ate dinner in front of the TV. After dinner, I took a shower and went to bed.  
Mandy woke me up the next morning, reminding me of our plans for the day. I sat up and stretched a little before getting out of bed. As I was slipping into a pair of jeans, nausea rolled over me, expectedly of course, and I made a dash for the bathroom. When I passed Mandy, my hand over my mouth, she said, “Reason one as to why I’m not having kids.”  
After spilling the contents of my stomach into the toilet, I rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth. “Mandy, you know good and well I’m gonna see you in ten years with a baby on your hip,” I said, passing her to go finish getting dressed.   
She appeared in the doorway as I put a shirt on. “That shirt’s lookin a little tight, Meals.”  
“Only a little,” I said, pulling it to loosen it a little. “See, its fine now.”   
“That’s exactly why we’re going shopping later. I refuse to be living with one of those pregnant girls who rest their shirt in the crook of their stomach. Better let Bree know too, because lord knows she’ll be the one doing it,” Mandy said, rolling her eyes and laughing.  
“I don’t know, Mandy, Bree’s seriously changed. The conception wasn’t exactly consensual,” I said.   
“You mean the father…?” Mandy asked, raising her eyebrows.  
“Yeah, he did. But I assure you we got even with him. He got away with cheating on me, but he didn’t get away with raping my little sister.”  
“Wait a minute. You’re both pregnant. That I get. But are you saying you’re both pregnant off the same guy?” She just about shrieked.   
“Yes. Michael got us both pregnant. But we can finish this conversation in the car,” I said, pushing her out the door.   
In the car, I proceeded to tell Mandy the whole story, from start to finish. She mostly sat there and shook her head, staying quiet. “God, that is so screwed up,” she said, getting out of the car at the place.  
“Yeah, well, shit happens,” I opened the door and went straight for the desk. In about a half hour, I was a registered patient there and had an appointment for an ultrasound in two weeks. Mandy and I left and headed for the mall.   
We spent the day shopping, mostly in the maternity sections, and made it home by about five that evening. “Thanks for lunch, Mandy. And thanks for helping me with these bags,” I laughed and shouldered the bags I was carrying.  
“Is your mom really not gonna notice the money we just spent?” Mandy asked, sounding worried.   
“Probably not. I mean, she’ll see it on the bills and stuff, but she’s not gonna process it,” I explained. “Plus, this wouldn’t even make a dent in her account.”  
“Well, for the record, I don’t approve of this,” she said, leaving me to put away my new clothes.   
After unpacking all the bags and putting everything away, I changed into some sweats and lay on my bed. I gently stroked my stomach, whispering softly, “I got all this stuff for you, little… Thing. You’re gonna make mommy’s belly too big for her clothes.” I thought for a little before adding, “I’m actually looking forward to seeing you, and eventually meeting you.”  
Two weeks later, I was out of bed by eight in the morning, excited for my ultrasound. The appointment was at noon, but I was too excited to go back to bed. To relax, I took a long hot shower. When I was dried and dressed, I debated on what to do with my hair. I settled for leaving it down, and went back to my room. Just as I laid down, the usual morning nausea rolled over me and I ran back to the bathroom.   
I was crouched over the toilet when Mandy knocked at the door. “C’mon, Amelia, I gotta take a shower before we go!”  
“Would you rather me throw up on the carpet or something, like a dog?” I yelled back, hoarse, before throwing up again. When I was sure I was done, I brushed my teeth and gave Mandy the bathroom. “Don’t get pregnant, you’ll hate your life for awhile,” I muttered to her.   
While Mandy showered, I decided to call Bree, who answered the phone excitedly. “Amelia! It’s about time you called. What’s up?”  
“It’s been busy, sorry sis. And I’m waiting for Mandy to get out of the shower so we can go to my appointment.”  
“You finally got an appointment? You have to show me the scans. Are you far enough along to tell the gender?” She asked.   
“I’m about ten or eleven weeks, so no, I don’t think so,” I’d been doing my research; my baby was the size of a grape or so! “It’ll be another six or seven weeks before they can see the gender for sure.”  
“Ugh, so that means I’ve got like eight or nine weeks until I can tell,” Bree kept talking, but I stopped listening when I heard Mandy call me.   
“Yeah, Bree, I’m gonna go now. Mandy’s ready to leave for my ultrasound. I’ll send you a picture, I promise. Bye, see you soon!” I hung up and put my cell back in my pocket. “Sorry, Bree was talking my ear off,” I said, following her out to the car.  
“Well, yeah, she does that,” Mandy chuckled.   
At the ultrasound office, we waited for about ten minutes before being called back. I hopped nervously onto the table, nearly shaking until the ultrasound-tech came in. “Okay, so,” she peered at the paper in her hand, “Amelia, we’re having our first ultrasound today, correct?” I nodded and she continued. “You can go ahead and pull your shirt up, and your jeans down a little.” I followed her instructions, exposing my slightly swollen stomach. “Well, it looks like you’re on track with the weight gain. What else has been up?”  
“Well,” I said, leaning back against the seat, “Morning sickness, my boobs are growing, I pretty much bought a new wardrobe last week, and… That’s about it.”  
“Sounds about right for ten weeks. Now we can actually get to the ultrasound part of this,” she said, squirting cold, blue goo onto my stomach. I flinched back and she laughed at me. “Sorry about that, forgot to mention its a little cold.”   
“You got that right. But what am I going to be able to see today?”   
“Not too much. The foetus is too small right now to see a lot. But, the heart should be formed enough to hear the heartbeat. Let me just find it,” she said, pushing the ultrasound around my stomach. “That’s the foetus,” she pointed to a grey circle on the screen, then clicked a few things on the computer. A loud, repetitive sound came through. “And that’s its heartbeat.”   
I gasped quietly, resisting the urge to touch my stomach and ultimately put my hand in the goo. “It’s… Fast.”  
“It’s supposed to be,” she chuckled. “Everything seems to be coming along well so far. Would you like a print?”  
“No, but could you take a picture with my cell phone? My little sister wants to see,” I explained, passing her my phone. She chuckled and obliged my ridiculous request.  
“So the girl with you isn’t your sister?”  
“No, that’s my cousin. My sister is back home in Virginia. You’ll probably be meeting her in a week or two. She’s, ah, also pregnant. Long story,” I said, taking the paper towel to wipe my stomach.   
“Well, we’ll schedule you an appointment for a month from now, and an appointment for your sister for two weeks from now,” the tech smiled and helped me down from the table and out to the front desk. I scheduled both Bree’s and my appointments, suddenly excited for Bree to get here. Believe it or not, I missed my sister.


	5. Chapter 5

“Amelia. Rose. Hall. Wake your butt up right this minute!” A familiar voice said into my ear. I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and tried to focus on the person in front of me. It was Bree.  
“Bee! Oh gosh, I missed you!” I got up out of bed quickly, and threw myself into hugging her. “How are you?” I looked down at her stomach, which looked about as swollen as mine.  
“I missed you too, sis,” we both sat on the bed. “But I’m alright; I’ve mostly been staying with Meghan, honestly. Mom got worse when you left, and I just wasn’t having it. So I left a week or two early, obviously.”  
“Judging by your stomach, you look like you left right on time. How are you possibly that big already?” I asked, still eying her stomach.  
“You’re gonna freak, but try and do so quietly, okay?”I nodded, wishing she’d just spit it out already. She took a deep breath, and I urged her, with a wave of my hand, to hurry up and say it. “Okay I think I’m having twins.”  
I legitimately bit my tongue; I told Mandy there’d only be two little additions. Not three. “Bee, there is absolutely no way we can fit three cribs in this apartment. Two is gonna be a tight squeeze, but three is impossible. There’s no way,” I hissed, trying to keep my voice at a whisper.  
“Then we have to get apartment hunting as soon a-.”  
“Bee, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re seventeen. We’re not getting an apartment until a month before I’m due, and we can’t move in that time period. Then you’re gonna be due, and it’s gonna be at least three months after we have them before we can move anywhere,” I sighed and gained my composure. “Mandy is going to freak.”  
“I know. That’s why she’s going to my appointment next week. She’ll need to know eventually, and what better way than to let her see it on-screen?”   
“Well I’ll make sure to be out by the time you guys get home because it’s going to be very, very ugly,” I said, raising my eyebrows. “Now get unpacking, we’re going out for dinner when you’re done.”   
Later, when she was unpacked and we had gotten back from dinner, we sat in our room, thinking of how to rearrange it to fit cribs in here. After a few minutes of silence, Bree hopped up and started pushing the two beds together and against the far wall. As much room as that made, it still only left room for two cribs. “Bee, there’s nothing we can do. Only two cribs are gonna fit in here.”  
“You’re right… Would it be a bad idea if, like, you had a girl and I had a girl, that they could share one crib and if the other twin was a boy he could have his own crib? Or my twins keep to their own crib?”  
“Is it even safe to put two babies in one crib? I really don’t think that’s safe,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip. “Look, let’s not stress about this until we actually know whether or not you’re having twins.”  
“Agreed,” she said, flipping on the lamp and switching off the lights. “I’m gonna go to bed, I’m exhausted.” She laid next to me, her back facing me, and went to sleep. Her soft snores quickly started up, lulling me to sleep shortly after.  
A week later, I woke up to a door slam and two voices harshly exchanging words. Moments later, Mandy appeared in the room. “Bree’s having twins. Twins. There’s absolutely no fucking way three cribs will fit in this room, let alone this apartment.”  
“Well good morning to you too, sunshine,” I growled, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. I sat myself up, ignoring the waves of nausea washing over me, and stretched out. “So it’s official that she’s having twins?”  
“Yeah, and I don’t know what the hell is going to happen here. There’s no space here for three cribs. It just won’t happen,” Mandy groaned, sitting on the foot of my bed. She rubbed her face in her hands and groaned loudly. “I don’t even like babies.”   
“Yeah, well, three months ago I would have said the same thing. But until we’re both eighteen and recovered from actually having the babies, we can’t do shit about the apartment situation,” I said, getting slightly irritated with her. “You took us in, not knowing we were pregnant; that’s our fault. But we really need a place to stay. We’ll start looking when we turn eighteen, and we’ll move out when Bree’s recovered from labor. Eight months tops.”  
“Take on a little more of the rent, and you have a deal,” Mandy sighed after a few minutes of silence.   
“Deal. Thank you so much.” Mandy walked out without another word, and slammed her bedroom door shut moments later. Shortly after, Bree walked in.  
“Well that went well!”   
“Oh shush. Look, let me get dressed, and we’re going out for the day. I don’t think I can stay with Miss Cranky Pants all day. Especially not after that little spat,” I started digging through my drawers for an outfit for the day. When I settled on an outfit and put my hair up, we left and headed for the mall.   
After a day at the mall, we were in the grocery store, getting dinner to cook and butter Mandy up a little. Bree was shopping for herself when I checked out with the ingredients for dinner. “Call me crazy, but when you walked in, I was really hoping you’d check out in this line,” a voice said as I put the contents of my cart on the conveyor belt. I looked up and met a gorgeous pair of green eyes.  
“Excuse me?” I said, chuckling a little.  
“I can’t help it, a pretty girl walks in and I gotta hope I get lucky,” the boy shrugged and continued scanning my stuff. “I’m Hunter, by the way.”   
“Amelia,” I responded, eying the boy carefully. He was handsome enough; quite attractive really. He had a slender face with side-swept auburn hair, seemed to be about 5’10”, and he had the lankiness that only said he was muscular without the bulky look. He was wearing a plain blue shirt, tucked neatly into his khakis, and a single stud stuck out of his lip. “But there’s not gonna be any ‘getting lucky’ here,” I said, raising an eyebrow.  
“Well, Miss ‘I wanna play hard to get’, we’ll just have to see about that… That’ll be forty-seven eighty,” he smiled, flashing perfectly straight, white teeth.   
“There’s no hard to get about it,” I came around the corner to get my bags, after paying and getting my change. His eyes immediately drifted down to my swollen stomach and he frowned.  
“There’s always a catch,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You’re spoken for, my apologies.”  
“No, not spoken for. I’ll just be really busy with the little one, comes August.”  
“Well,” he started, handing me my receipt, “I love kids. Feel free to call or text me.”  
“But I don’t have your…” I trailed off, spotting the penned in phone number at the bottom of the receipt. “Oh you are slick. Maybe I’ll take you up on the offer,” I said, taking my bags and walking out to the car. I sat in the car for about ten minutes until Bree came out.   
“Okay, one of the cashiers thought I was you. Why did one of the cashiers think I was you?” I smiled, holding back laughs, and Bree suddenly became twice as interested. “Oh now you have to tell me. Who is he?”  
“He just started flirting with me. His name is Hunter. That’s really all there is to it. Except he was totally appalled by this,” I said, pointing at the lump in my shirt.   
“Pregnant or not, don’t you dare lose your shot at that, Amelia. He’s gorgeous.”  
“Yeah, yeah. Hush. Just get your bags in the trunk, and get your butt in the car. I wanna get back home; between Mandy bitching and you dragging me all over creation, I need a bath or something relaxing.” I put the car in drive and headed back towards the apartment.   
After dinner, I spent a good hour in a warm bath, gently tracing my fingers across my stomach. I was only about three months along, and, as impossible as it was, I wished I could feel the baby move. I wanted to know that the little thing was growing… I wanted to be able to love it unconditionally, the way only a mother could.   
In May, I decided I wanted to know the gender of my baby. Turns out I was having a little girl to be named Maria-Grace. Bree was having a boy and a girl, whose names are currently undecided, and due, obviously, a month after me. The minute we both knew the genders of our babies, we spent the day going from store to store, buying the necessities, and not-so-necessities. As much as I’d love to bore everyone with all nine months of my pregnancy, I’ll just leave it as the top five worst and best moments of the nine months.  
Worst:  
1\. Morning sickness (and lots of it).  
2\. Getting incredibly huge and gaining tons of weight.  
3\. People staring at me, unapproving of a teenage mother.  
4\. Dealing with mom trying to get me to come home.  
5\. Going into labor in the middle of a Walmart 

Best:  
1\. Seeing my baby grow over the months.  
2\. Feeling my baby kick for the first time.  
3\. Slowly falling for Hunter over the months  
4\. Turning eighteen before she was born.  
5\. Holding my daughter for the first time and feeling so tired, yet so renewed by the crying, new life on my chest.


	6. Chapter 6

The three of us were in Walmart, August 27th, when I started cramping. They weren’t unbearable, so I just bit my lip and followed Bree as she traipsed the aisles, almost aimlessly. A sudden, sharp pain in my stomach caused me to inhale sharply and place a hand on my stomach. Bree turned around, looking at me curiously. “Are you okay?” she asked, eying my stomach.  
“Just a little cramping, don’t worry about me,” I said, straightening myself out and rubbed a hand across my stomach. We wandered around for another thirty minutes before getting in line, and my cramps were only getting worse the whole time. Just as Bree went to pay for our selections, a pain went through me, causing me to cry out and double over.   
Both Mandy and Bree stared at me wide-eyed, but no one said anything. “Okay, Bree you finish up here, and keep an eye on her. I’m getting the car, and then we’re going to the hospital,” Mandy said, turning away and walking to the parking lot.   
“C’mon, Ames, we’re gonna go wait out front,” Bree said, grabbing the bags and my arm. She led me out to the front of Walmart, letting go of my arm to let me pace. I paced whenever I was anxious, and, right now, I was insanely anxious. Moments later, Mandy pulled up and parked. While Bree put the bags in the trunk, I eased myself into the passenger seat. “Alright, I’m good. Drive,” Bree said, popping her seatbelt into place.  
I rode in silence, gripping the arm rest with each passing contraction. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the hospital, and my agony was only growing with each mile. At the hospital, it hit me that someone needed to call Anna and let her know to come down. Bree reassured me she would as soon as I was settled into a bed. So, naturally, when I got my gown on and sat on the bed, a nurse came in to check my progress. “I’ll step out and call Anna,” Bree said, already heading for the door.  
“Okay dear, if you can just sit back I can tell where we are with this baby,” the nurse said sweetly. I laid my head back against the pillow while she checked me, a hand twisted into the sheet on the bed. “Well, you’re currently about three centimeters. I’ll check back in an hour or so, and if you’re dilated anymore, we can do an epidural.”  
“An epidural would be lovely,” I managed through gritted teeth.   
“I understand, trust me. But you can’t have one yet, which I also understand. You’ll just have to stick it out until you get to four centimeters,” she patted my hand and left the room. Bree walked in just as the nurse went to leave.  
“Anna’s on her way, she should be here in about two hours. Did I hear the nurse say you’re three centimeters?” I nodded. “Yikes, we’ll be here for awhile. Mandy went to get the baby and overnight bags, so she’ll be back in about an hour.”  
I nodded and gripped the sheet until I was white knuckled. All the research I’d done over the months gave no insight on how bad the contractions really were. Despite all the pain she was putting me in right now, Maria-Grace was kicking away. “C’mon, baby girl,” I whispered, drawing my fingers across my stomach, “take it easy. Mommy’s already hurting enough.”  
“Who do you think she’s gonna look like?” Bree asked, scooting her chair closer to the bed.  
“As big of a jerk as he is, I honestly hope she gets Michael’s eyes. Oh, and dad’s hair. Dark hair and blue eyes always work in a person’s favor,” I said, chuckling a little. A yawn followed the laugh and I said, “I’m tired. How on earth can my body be thinking about sleep with all this excitement going on?”   
“Go ahead and take a nap, I’ll wake you when Anna gets here. Does that work?”   
“Yeah, sure,” I said, leaning back and closing my eyes.  
“Hey, Amelia… Amelia, I don’t care if you’re about to push a baby out of your crotch, you, my friend, need to wake up,” said a voice that could only belong to one person; Anna.   
I opened my eyes and the little shit was right in my face. “Anna, until you get pregnant and have kids, you don’t get to talk,” I said with a laugh, and sat up.  
She hugged me tightly and said, “Oh man, I missed you, kid.”   
“I missed you too,” I sighed, cringing at the same time. “How long was I asleep?”  
“About two and a half hours,” Bree answered, making her presence known. “I’ll get a nurse to check your dilation.”  
“How’re you feeling?” Anna asked when Bree left the room. “Oh, and scoot over, you’re taking up the whole bed.”  
I scooted over, rolling my eyes; typical Anna. “Well excuse me; I’m sort of the one having the baby here. But honestly, I’m hurting, waiting on this epidural. Anxious to meet her, but terrified something is gonna go wrong,” I said. I twisted my hand into the sheet again, biting down on my lip to keep from screaming.  
“Hey, yeah, someone come give this poor girl an epidural,” Anna yelled towards the door. When no one came in, Anna got up and stuck her head out the door. “Seriously, this kid needs an epidural, she’s already suffered enough.”   
Despite how obnoxious she was being, I had no choice but to laugh; someone so tiny was so loud and so incredibly demanding. It was nothing but pure comedy to everyone around. “Ma’am, if you’re going to be a disruption, we’re going to have to ask you to leave,” the nurse said, coming in to check me with Bree in tow.   
“Amelia needs a fricken epidural and no one was around,” Anna shrugged.  
“Actually, I’ll decide right now if she’s ready for the epidural,” the nurse said before checking my dilation. “Okay, you’re ready for an epidural-“ Anna scoffed at this, “- so I will be right back with that.”  
“I told you she needed one,” Anna muttered, earning a laugh from Bree and I.   
“Okay, Amelia, I need you to sit up and lean forward. It’ll hurt a little at first, but only until the medicine kicks in,” the nurse explained, positioning me to place the needle. I cringed when I caught a glimpse of the needle, and turned to tuck my face into Anna, who was sitting at the foot of the bed. “Alright, all done,” she said.  
I leaned back slowly and sighed in relief; I could already feel the medicine taking affect. “Thank god for modern science. Bree, take note, you’re gonna want one of these. Trust me,” I said, looking at her.  
“Oh I already know. Plus, I’m having two of them, in case you haven’t noticed,” Bree said, pointing at her swollen stomach.   
“Trust me, I’ve noticed. You’re huge, little sis,” I teased, sticking my tongue out at her, eliciting the middle finger from her. “You’re just jealous I’m meeting mine first.”  
“I am, actually. I just wish these two would hurry up,” she murmured, lightly tracing fingers across her stomach.   
I looked at my stomach and rested a hand on it. “C’mon baby girl, everyone is here and waiting for you. Especially mommy,” I directed quietly at my stomach, only to get a contraction, numbed by the epidural, in response.  
It was about two in the morning when the doctor came in announcing that I was ready to push. “I, uh… Can we wait for Bree to get back?” I asked nervously. Bree went home about an hour ago to pick up a few things from the apartment.   
“Amelia, I don’t think that’s the best-.”  
“I want Bree here,” I cut the doctor off. “I’m not doing this without her.”  
“She has thirty minutes, otherwise, you’re going to have to do this without her,” he said, and went to leave the room.  
“Anna. Call Bree, now,” I said, starting to get more anxious than before. Anna dialed Bree, who was still at the apartment. She said she was leaving in a few minutes, and that she would hurry up.   
Unfortunately for me, the hurrying wasn’t enough. The doctor came back in, a half hour later as promised, and told me I had to push. “You can’t tell me your body isn’t telling you to push right now,” the doctor said.  
I hated to admit he was right; every nerve in my body was telling me to push, and fighting it was exhausting. I let the nurse get me all set up to push, simply because I was too tired to fight her, too. “I want Bree here!” I just about yelled at the doctor, who was preparing to deliver my baby.  
“Kid, you can’t wait. It isn’t healthy, for you or the baby. Don’t you want to meet her?” Anna asked, gripping my hand. I nodded slowly and bit my lip. “You gotta stop fighting it, Ames.”  
I nodded again, and put my hand into hers. “I’m ready,” I whispered after taking a steadying breath. On the doctor’s cue, I pushed, and pushed, and pushed. I got about four pushes in before Bree came waddling in.  
“Oh, sis, I’m sorry. I, uh, actually got pulled over trying to get here,” Bree said, settling in on the other side of me. She took my hand and said, “Keep it up Ames, she’ll be here really soon.”   
I went back to my pushing, and at 2:43 A.M., August 28th, Maria-Grace was born, seven pounds, three ounces and about twenty inches long. She was perfect. As the doctor’s took her to get cleaned, I caught a glimpse of the layer of dark hair on her head, and when they gave her back to me, wrapped up in pink, I got to study her even better.   
She was frantically looking around the room, those blue eyes I’ve only seen once before trying to find something good to look at. Her nose came to a point, just like mine, and her skin tone settled in right between Michael’s and mine. Like I said; she was perfect.   
“Ames,” Bree whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks, “she’s beautiful. She looks like you.”  
“You did great, kid,” Anna said, gently stroking Maria-Grace’s dark hair.   
I unraveled the pink bundle to marvel at the perfect little body I created. Everything was right where it needed to be; ten toes, ten fingers, and two little ears. She whimpered, so I covered her with the blanket again and cradled her against my chest. “Maria-Grace, you are going to be one loved little girl. I promise,” I whispered, and kissed her head softly.   
“Can I?” Bree asked, motioning toward Maria-Grace. I nodded and passed her over. Despite my excitement, a yawn slipped out. “Hey, Amelia, we’ll take care of her. Try and get some rest, okay?” Too tired to argue with her, I nodded and gave Maria-Grace a kiss before drifting off to sleep.   
I woke up around eleven that morning to the nurse coaxing me awake. “Amelia, she’s hungry, I do believe. We were wondering if you’re going to breast feed her, or go with formula.”  
I sat up and stretched a little, feeling sore. I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and said, “I suppose I’ll breast feed, and save some money on formula for awhile.”  
The nurse smiled and lifted Maria-Grace’s writhing, crying form out of the bassinette. I took her and pushed the gown off my shoulders. “Good morning, baby girl, please don’t cry. Mommy’s right here,” I whispered, settling her against my chest. She took right away, and her blue eyes met mine. They were the deep blue babies were normally born with, but I had a gut feeling they would lighten out into Michael’s sea blue ones.   
While she nursed, she appeared to study my face, trying to memorize me. “Yes, baby, I’m your mommy. And I love you so, so much,” I whispered, stroking her side with my thumb. She nursed for awhile, taking her mouth off of me when she decided she was full. I cradled her in my arms, rocking her slightly. She gave what sounded like a little hiccup, and I assumed she burped.   
I was grateful that Bree and Anna were still asleep - Bree on a cot the nurse must have brought in last night, and Anna curled up in the window seat - so I could have some alone time with my baby. Mandy was nowhere to be seen, so I can only assume she went to the apartment. Maria-Grace had managed to fall asleep in my arms, so I put her back in the bassinette and got her baby bag. As I was unpacking to get her some clothes and the blanket I picked for her, the nurse popped in and told me we would be discharged tomorrow morning.  
Translation: First day all on my own, to an extent, with Maria-Grace.  
Realization: Bree would be having hers anytime now.


	7. Chapter 7

My realization was a reality one early morning in September. I woke up at about two in the morning to get Maria-Grace fed and changed, and found Bree sitting up curled over her stomach. I didn’t process at first, simply because I was exhausted. At this point in time, Maria-Grace was a handful. She woke up about three times a night, wet or hungry, and during the day, she hated to be left alone. Not that I truly left her alone, but she disliked being in her crib if she was awake. Anyway, once I processed that Bree was awake, I whispered, “Bree, are you okay?”   
She shook her head, just barely, and said, “Contractions.”  
“Do you want me to wake Mandy, or do you want to just go?” I asked her, hurrying to change Maria-Grace.   
She inhaled sharply and squeaked, “Can we just go?”  
“Yeah, you go get in the car; I’ll get everything ready and be out there as soon as I can.” I set Maria-Grace in her carrier/ car seat, and grabbed the bags we packed for when Bree delivered. I shouldered the bags, grabbed Maria-Grace’s carrier, and hurried outside and downstairs to the car. Bree was already ready to go, so I tossed the bags in and buckled Maria-Grace’s car seat in. “Bree, I know you’re hurting, trust me I know, but please just keep an eye on her?” I asked, getting into the driver’s seat. She nodded, so I made my way out of the apartment complex, and towards the hospital.  
Thirty minutes later, we were settled into a delivery room, Bree in a gown, and me pacing the room with a fussy Maria-Grace. The nurse had announced that Bree was already 4 ½ centimeters, so she was preparing for an epidural. “Bree, how long were you sitting awake like that?” I asked her once the epidural was in place.  
“Maybe an hour? I was trying to time everything so I wouldn’t be here very long, but the pain got unbearable. I was actually about to wake you, but Maria-Grace beat me to it,” she explained.   
I went to reply, but the nurse came in wheeling an ultrasound machine. “It says on your chart that you’re thirty-seven weeks, but never got your ultra-sound. I need to check on the twins before we get too much further into this, okay?” Bree nodded and the nurse checked everything out. “Well it looks like the girl has turned, but the boy is still the wrong way. A breech delivery is a little more difficult, and can be a little riskier. I would recommend a c-section, but the girl is the right way.”  
“C-section?” Bree squeaked, her eyes growing wide.   
“It might be easier, and will definitely be safer,” the nurse explained. “We really don’t know who’s gonna be born first, so if you opt to go with a normal birth, you could end up having the boy first and putting yourself through a lot of extra stress.”  
“When would I go in for the c-section?” Bree asked.  
“We’ll start timing your contractions, and once they hit about… Five minutes apart, we’ll prep you and take you in,” the nurse turned to me. “If you’re going to go into the operating room, there’s a daycare for her.”  
Maria-Grace was being particularly fussy tonight, most likely from being unable to sleep in her crib. I was still currently rocking her slowly in my arms, trying to keep her calm. “She’s being awfully fussy tonight.”  
“Amelia, you have to come in with me. I’m not going in there alone,” Bree just about yelled at me.  
“Okay, okay. I’ll go drop her off, then,” I said. I picked up Maria-Grace’s carrier and baby bag and went to go find the nursery. As if Maria-Grace knew what was going on, she got fussier. She was fully screaming and crying by the time we reached the daycare, and the counselor looked at me warily. “I’m sorry; she’s been particularly fussy tonight. The nurse told me to leave her at the daycare while I went with my sister into the OR,” I explained.  
“It’s okay; we’ll take care of her. Is all of her stuff in the bag?” The lady asked, reaching out to take Maria-Grace.  
I passed her over, and then the bag too. “Yes, there’s bottles, diapers, and anything else she needs. Okay, little miss, mommy’s gonna go take care of Aunt Bee, now,” I kissed her head and left her with the lady. Her crying was out of earshot by the time I got back to Bree’s hospital room, lessening my guilt for leaving my fussy baby with a stranger. “Okay, I’m back, what’s going on?”  
“I’m only seven minutes apart right now. The nurse said to wait for them to be five minutes apart before I get prepped and all,” Bree patted the bed next to her for me to come join her. I sat next to her and relaxed against the back of the bed.  
“So, tell me, a year ago, would you have thought we’d be here right now?” I joked, laughing at my own question.   
“Oh yeah, totally,” she laughed a little and rested her head on my shoulder. “I honestly didn’t even see myself having kids, period, but here I am, about to have two of them… Do you think I’ll be good at this whole mother thing?”  
“Well, judging on how you do with Maria-Grace, you’ll be a great mom, Bee. We’re gonna have to work together, too. So I think you’ll be okay… We all will,” I said, resting my head on hers.   
“Seriously, Ames, we sound like an after school special,” Bree said, giggling a little.  
“In case you haven’t noticed, little sister, we are an after school special. How many twin sisters have you heard of being impregnated by the same guy?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
“Yeah, yeah,” she sighed. “I really wish they’d hurry up and get out. This hurts, and to top it all off I get to have a big scar to show for it.” Bree shrunk down a little and yawned.  
“Look, take a nap, and when you wake up, it’ll be time to go in and get the twins, alright?” I sat up and got off the bed. She nodded, laid down all the way and shut her eyes. I went into the hall and called Anna. She picked up, quite angry with me for waking her at 3 in the morning, and said she and Meghan would be down in the morning, around 10. After another round of her yelling at me for waking her at 3 in the morning, she hung up and went back to sleep.  
I paced around, not used to being up at this hour without Maria with me, and considering going to get her until Bree was actually ready to go in for the C-section. After a few more minutes of pacing, I went down to the nursery to see her. She wasn’t any happier than when I dropped her off, and threw an even bigger fit when she saw me again. The woman handed her over to me, and I apologized for her being so fussy.  
“Little Miss, why are you so cranky tonight? I know, it’s late and you’re not in your crib, but you’re okay,” I murmured as I pressed gentle kisses to her head. I tried to feed her, but she wasn’t hungry, and that only made her fussier. When I changed her, which she needed, she calmed down a little. I began to bounce her and rock her gently to see if that’d put her to sleep, and much to my and the nursery lady’s relief, it did. I passed her back over after holding her for a while, and went back to Bree.  
When I got back, Bree was ready to go into the OR, and she was easily twice as anxious as she was when I left her a half hour earlier. “I thought you were gonna miss it and stay with MG,” Bree said, her voice shaking.   
“Trust me I wouldn’t miss this for the world. We’ve got each other’s backs right, sis?” I reassured her and followed the doctor’s with the bed out the door and down into the OR. Lucky for both of us, things went smoothly. Trevor Alexander was born first, followed by Haley Savannah five minutes later.   
Trevor was 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and 17 inches long. He was animated from the moment the doctors cut the cord, and immediately began flailing in their arms as he screamed, letting us know he was very much okay. He was born with no hair, leading us to believe he’d be a blonde like his father.   
Haley, born five minutes after her brother, was smaller, at 5 pounds, 8 ounces, and about 16 inches long. She was less active; she didn’t cry, which concerned Bree, but I assured her that she was just fine. Her head was covered in a light copper brown, which she undoubtedly inherited from Bree, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly.   
They stitched Bree up and brought her to recovery, and the twins were taken to the nursery. The doctor’s went ahead and gave Bree some pain medicine in the recovery room, which knocked her out, and I took the time to go down to the nursery to see the twins again.   
Now all cleaned up and comfortable, they were both just lying in the bassinets, glancing around the nursery. Seeing all these babies made me want to go get mine, but I also wanted to be there when Bree woke up from the medication, and not by Maria-Grace being fussy again. I asked the nurse on duty if I could pop in and see the twins for a minute, and she led me over to their bassinets. Haley was asleep, but Trevor peered up at me with the slightest look of confusion. I wondered if babies could be confused if their mother was a twin, or if they just knew who was who. I chuckled at the thought, gave them both a gentle kiss, and went back to Bree’s room.   
I sat in the window sill, dozing off, until I heard sheets rustling. I looked over and Bree was starting to wake up, so I pulled a chair up next to her bed. When she opened her eyes and blinked a few times to focus, she immediately asked me how the twins were. “They’re perfect, Sis. Trevor doesn’t have any hair, but Haley has a thin layer of brown. They were asleep when I went to see them.”  
“I want to see them,” Bree said.  
“I’ll get a nurse to wheel you down there, alright?” I asked, leaving and heading towards the nurse’s station. One came back with a wheelchair and helped Bree into it.   
In the nursery, the nurse on duty placed both twins in her arms, and I swear I’d never seen Bree happier. The air in the room was light, and I think, for the first time Bree found out she was pregnant, she was crying happy tears. Unfortunately, my own brain had to ruin the beauty of the scene; we were going to be at home with 3 infants, and Mandy was not going to be happy.


	8. Chapter 8

We were home for maybe a week with the twins before Mandy got fed up. When Bree and I got home after a few days in the hospital, Mandy greeted the twins excitedly at first. It was when Trevor woke up at 3 AM, screaming to high hell, that Mandy lost her patience. It was at two weeks she gave us our “notice of eviction”, and was asking us to find a new place.  
“Maria-Grace I could handle; she didn’t wake anyone up except you. The twins are a different story. One of them starts crying, who then makes the other one cry, which in turn wakes up Maria. It’s a chain with them,” Mandy said one morning, rubbing her temples.   
Bree, who was currently attempting to burp a fussy Haley, spoke up before I could, “Mandy, we can’t really help it. I’m still recovering from having them, and we can’t move right now.”  
Mandy opened her mouth, shut it, and got up from the kitchen table. A minute later, the door slammed shut, waking up Maria from her mid-morning nap. I picked her up and kissed her head before saying, “We really do need to find our own place, though. We have our trust funds now, and even if we can’t move just yet, we can start looking.”  
“I’m just sick of Mandy’s attitude. I know it isn’t easy living with three infants, but we honestly can’t help it at this point. Babies cry. She just makes a bigger deal out of it than necessary,” Bree said.  
“How about we go ahead and get ready for the day, and go out apartment hunting?”   
“I just need to shower. Would you take care of Haley and Trevor for me, since you’re already dressed?”   
I nodded and Bree set Haley in my other arm. Trevor was currently asleep in his crib, and I hated to wake him up to dress him, so I took care of the two I already had. I changed Maria and put her in some day clothes while Haley was in a crib. I switched infants, and by the time I was done with Haley, Trevor had woken up, very hungry.   
Bree was breast feeding them, like I was with Maria-Grace, but she was in the shower. I attempted to soothe Trevor otherwise, but he only got hungrier, and thus louder. By the time Bree had gotten out of the shower, all three babies were crying. “Are you having trouble there, sis?” Bree teased, taking Trevor from me and feeding him.   
“Well I’m sure as hell not about to breastfeed your baby, Bee,” I said and rolled my eyes. “That’d be weird on so many different levels.”  
“As soon as he’s done, I’ll dry my hair and we can go. Hopefully they won’t be fussy all day. No one is going to sell us anything with three screaming infants.”  
“You’re right…Maybe I can find us a babysitter instead. Hunter still wants to see the twins, so he might be willing if he’s off,” I suggested. Hunter had come around once or twice since Maria was born, but hadn’t had any time since the twins were born. He and I were officially unofficial, meaning I was being stubborn in seeing that he actually wanted a teenage mother for a girlfriend, but I didn’t want anyone else but him.   
“Well, go ahead and give him a call. I like him well enough to trust him with the twins.”  
While Bree finished getting ready, I called Hunter who, luckily, was off today and willing to babysit; he was over twenty minutes after hanging up. I answered the door with Maria in my arms, and it was cute to see that Hunter was seemingly more excited to see the baby. “I see how it is, the baby is more important than the girl,” I feigned hurt.  
“I love babies. I’m good with them, and they love me,” he said while cooing over Maria. His expression flattened out and he said, “I was fifteen when my little brother was born. I practically raised him. My parents were, and still are, around, but they’re really busy with their work.”  
I gave him a sympathetic smile and said, “Bree and I practically raised ourselves since we were about seven. Different situation, but I understand.’  
“I don’t mean to pry, and obviously you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what’s the ‘different situation’?” He asked, gently tickling Maria, causing her to smile and gurgle a little.  
“Mom was, and still is, an alcoholic. Dad left when she started getting really bad, and couldn’t be bothered to take us with him.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry Ames.” He threw me a sad, yet warm smile.  
I smiled back at the use of my nickname. “Okay, give me my baby so Bree and I can get on our way,” I said. I reached for Maria and took her in my arms. I gave her a few kisses, gave Hunter the rundown of what was in the apartment, and Bree and I left.  
“Do we even know where to start looking?” She asked when we had buckled in.  
“We have all day. Do we really need a plan?”  
“I’d rather not be out all day. It wouldn’t be fair to stick Hunter with three infants for an entire day,” she said.  
“Trust me, he’s loving it,” I smiled, thinking of how good he is with Maria-Grace.  
She sighed, “Okay, I just want to get back to them. It feels weird not having them around.”  
“Yeah, I know. I think our first step should be checking in at the bank to see about our funds, and then a real estate agency to see about availabilities in the area.”  
The ride to the bank was quiet, save for a few discussions about the kind of place we’d like to live in. We settled on three bedrooms, one for us to share, one for Maria and Haley, and finally one for Trevor, and preferably two bathrooms. It seemed like an apartment was out of the question, so we’d consider renting a small house meeting those requirements.  
Actually being in the bank was much different than the drive to the bank; we had found out our trust funds were much smaller than mom had said once or twice. Collectively we had twenty thousand dollars; ten thousand in my trust fund and ten thousand in Bree’s. We’d definitely have to figure out jobs and child care after finding somewhere to live within our price range. The rent would have to be low after a deposit or down payment.  
The next stop was a real estate agency. Luckily, someone was free and was able to show us some places within our price range, in both rent and deposits. Unfortunately, Bree and I couldn’t decide on the same house, so we walked out with a bunch of handouts and a lot of talking to do.  
To add a cherry on top of a really weird day, we came home to Hunter with the babies, and Mandy holed up in her room. I called her out after paying Hunter and saying good bye. “Why didn’t you relieve him when you came home? He’s been with them all day!”  
“He was being paid; I wasn’t. I had no reason to take over for him.”  
“You live here and know how the babies are. Plus, you’re our cousin. You could have at least helped him!” I yelled.  
“I seriously hope you two have found a place, because I’m tired of somehow ending up with the responsibility of helping you with your kids. I might be your cousin, but I am not their mother. I’m not a mother yet, and there’s a good reason for that. I don’t want to be!” She stormed back to her room, and slammed the door, making Maria start wailing.  
“Bree, start packing your stuff, we’re fucking leaving,” I said to her while attempting to soothe Maria.  
“Where exactly are we going to go? We haven’t picked a house yet, and even if we had, we couldn’t move in right away.”  
“We’ll go to a hotel, pick a house, and come back for the bigger stuff when we move in. I’m not living with her anymore. I don’t know about you, but I’ve dealt with enough yelling for a lifetime, between Mandy and mom,” I said. I didn’t give Bree a chance to answer and swept into our room with Maria in hand.   
Bree followed me in and looked at me sheepishly. “We could always go home-.”  
I cut her off immediately. “Go home? Where is home? Sure as hell not with our alcoholic mother, and sure as hell not here. Besides, do you really want to expose our children to the abuse she raised us on?”   
“It’d be less expensive to live there. We could give them so much more!”  
“Is that really worth exposing them to alcohol, and profanity and whatever else mom slews at us? So we have to get jobs, at least we’ll be raising our kids as our kids! I don’t care what you do, I’m taking Maria and leaving,” I spat, officially ending the conversation.   
In about thirty minutes I had packed both my things, and Maria’s, along with a playpen that would have to be her crib until I found a place to stay, permanently. In leaving, I whisked past Bree, giving her the cold shoulder when she said goodbye. I got Maria in her car seat, loaded the car, and pulled out of the drive way without a second thought.   
I found a hotel, maybe an hour later, that I approved of and was in my price range. I carried Maria and all of our stuff in on one trip, not willing to leave her alone despite being in her carrier. I set the carrier on the bed and set up her play pen first, layering it with blankets and her crib guard, lowering her in when I deemed it safe enough for her.   
Once she was soundly asleep, I changed into some pajamas and attempted to get comfortable. I eventually fell asleep, only to be awoken several hours later by a knock at the door. I checked who it was, and when I saw who was at the door, I debated whether or not to open in. They knocked again, so I decided I’d open the door before they woke Maria up. “Bree, what are you doing here?” She tried to come in, but I blocked her way. “I asked you a question, not invited you inside.”  
“Please just let me in. Mandy went off the handle when she came back out and you were gone. I left the twins because they’re sleeping, but I’m going back to get them if you let me stay with you,” she begged.   
“No, if you need somewhere to stay, why don’t you just go home? Take the twins and go crawling back to ‘mommy dearest’,” I sneered and shut the door in her face.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
“Yeah, well fuck you too!” Bree screamed after I shut the door on her. I sat down on the bed and ran my fingers through my hair. I honestly wasn’t sure why I was so upset with her; she had only suggested we go back home. I just couldn’t stand the idea of putting up with my mom again, and I was shocked that Bree would even consider exposing the kids to that.   
After some thinking, I went to back to the door and opened it. Luckily, Bree was still standing there. “I knew you weren’t gonna make me stay at Mandy’s.”  
“I’m not sure if it’s a guilty conscious thing, or what. Bring the twins and their playpen; there should be enough room in here for all of us. First thing tomorrow though, we’re finding an acceptable house, job hunting, and finding childcare. Okay?”  
“Yeah, yeah,” she yawned. “I’m gonna go get the twins and my stuff, and leave a note for Mandy telling her we’ll be back for the cribs when we find somewhere. See you in a little bit.”  
“I’ll leave the door unlocked. Be quiet coming in because I’m going back to sleep,” I said. Bree nodded and shut the door. I went and checked on Maria, who was still sleeping, and went back to bed.   
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long, because Maria woke up when Bree came back in. I fed and changed her while Bree set everything up for the twins. We’d have to share a bed because I only got a one bed room, only expecting it to be me. It would be a tight fit with two playpens and two adults, so we’d have to get a move on finding a new place. Something told me it wasn’t going to be easy, and I believed every word; with my sister, nothing was easy.  
When I say I was right about this not being easy, I really mean it wasn’t easy. Bree refused to settle on a house, simply because the ones we could afford that had what we needed were “ugly”. So we ended up spending a week in the hotel before we figured out a place, and then another two weeks until we could move into the house.  
It was small, but it would fit all of us. Three bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms, so that Bree and I would get the master, and the kids would be separated with Maria in one room and the twins sharing another. Since we were only renting the place, we couldn’t do any painting, but we made sure to decorate the best we could. The rest of the house was sparse, because any money left over was being saved for the kids. We had no living room, simply because the space designated for that had no furniture and the kitchen had what the house came with, and a small dining area.   
Maria was about three months old, and at this point she was making more noises, and could even lift her head on occasion when I layed her on her belly. I noticed she preferred her thumb over a pacifier, and loved to have her hands in her mouth. She was a very smiley baby, and had the most beautiful smile. Luckily for me, it was such an easy thing to obtain; all I had to do was smile at her or call her name when she was in my lap. I loved my daughter so much; her smile was my happiness.   
I had found a job first, at a small shop in town, so Bree was staying home taking care of the kids and trying to find an acceptable daycare. We were mainly waiting for the twins to get to two months so daycare would be available for them too. At this point, motherhood wasn’t easy, but we were making do.  
“I really need to find a job,” Bree groaned, getting into bed one night. We were sharing a full size mattress due to lack of funds. “I love the kids, but being with them day in and day out is driving me insane.”  
“I have off tomorrow, so you can go back to job hunting and spend some time away from everything. Get out of the house, I’ll watch everyone,” I offered.  
“Please. I need to get out of here. I need interaction from someone other than three infants,” she said.   
My offer was for the both of us, in all honesty; Bree goes job hunting, Hunter and I babysit. It’s a win-win situation. Hunter had been helping us a lot since we moved into the new house, mostly with babysitting if Bree had an interview while I was working. Best of all, he babysat for very little, making it easy on us financially.   
Bree left bright and early the next morning, leaving me with the kids for an hour before Hunter came over. Lucky for me, the twins were asleep when Bree left, but Maria-Grace was awake. These times were my favorite, spending time with her, just the two of us. She made all of this stress worth it. The way she looked at me, it felt like she didn’t care that our house wasn’t the best, or that there was five of us crammed in here. She looked at me like I did everything right, and it was so nice to feel; even if it was from a three month old.  
When Hunter got there, he walked right into the house as if he lived here, which I asked him to start doing because the babies slept at different times. He swept right into Maria’s room, where we were laying facing each other. Maria lifted her head to look up at him and gave him a gummy smile. I stood up and greeted him, then picked Maria up off her belly. “It’s just us three for now. The twins are still asleep, and she’ll be heading for a nap here soon.” I kissed her head.  
Hunter reached out and raised his eyebrows, signaling to me he wanted to see Maria. I placed her into his arms, and went to check on the twins. Haley was awake and cooing quietly in her crib while Trevor continued to snooze away. I took Haley for a bottle and a change before she screamed for those things and woke Trevor.  
By the time I had finished with Haley, Maria was napping in Hunter’s arms. I smiled and whispered, “I’m going to give Haley a bath. If Maria wakes up, she’ll probably be hungry. Her bottles are the-.”  
“Ones with the green lids. Haley’s are pink, and Trevor’s are blue. In case you’ve forgotten, I babysit the little ones quite often,” Hunter cut me off, chuckling quietly.  
I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him before heading for the bathroom with Haley. Haley, hating baths with as much passion as a two month old can muster, screamed the entire time. Her screaming miraculously didn’t wake Maria, but it did wake her brother, who then woke up Maria.  
When I had gone to get Trevor after finishing Haley’s bath, Hunter already had him fed and changed, as well as Maria calm and playing on the floor. “I have to admit, it feels like you’re better at this whole parent thing than I am,” I admitted, sitting next to him on the couch.   
“I’ve done it before, whereas you’re only learning. Plus, if you’re asking me, these three together are easier to handle than my little brother ever was. I felt so bad for him, he was a mommy’s boy from the start, but mom was never around.”  
“Well, I’d love to meet him one day,” I said.  
“I thought you weren’t interested in meeting my family?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.  
“Not when I was all huge and pregnant, and, honestly, I’m just scared. I’ve never done well with parents. Plus, now that I have a baby, they’re already gonna be judging me,” I said.  
“Well, considering I don’t live with them, and I’m not a minor, they don’t get a say who can and can’t be my girlfriend,” he said, kissing my forehead.  
I blushed at this; we rarely ever discussed our relationship status, but here he was outright declaring me as his girlfriend. “Girlfriend?” I asked, looking up towards him while trying to hide my blush.  
“Well, that is if you want to be,” he coughed, realizing he had said that out loud.  
I wanted to be his girlfriend; badly. He was amazing with the kids, never once judged me for having a child at 18. This would be a no-brainer. “Of course I want to be,” I said, standing up on my toes to kiss him on the mouth. I felt him smile into the kiss and wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me in closer. I gripped at the collar of his shirt, allowing me to get as close as possible.   
He backed away, chuckling quietly. “Amelia, you do realize it’s you, me, and three babies here, right?” I blushed at this and averted my eyes to my daughter kicking at the toys dangling from the jungle gym.   
“Irony at its finest; that’s kind of what got me into this situation in the first place,” I laughed. “I love Maria, but I’m not sure I’d want another one.”  
Hunter’s face fell at this statement, and my stomach dropped at that change in his demeanor. “Ever since my brother was born I wanted a family of my own. I’d like to know that I can make a better family than my parents did.”  
“Are we already considering kids even though we just started officially dating? ‘Cause that’s kind of what I’m getting here and that’s a little overwhelming,” I said, feeling the panic attack start welling up in my chest.  
“No!” Hunter yelped as soon as I finished my sentence. “God no, that’s overwhelming and extremely weird. Yes, if we got to that stage in a relationship, I’d be happy having a family with you. For now, though, I’d like to keep it you, me and MG.” I nodded quickly, letting go of a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Sorry if that freaked you out.”  
I walked away to check on the twins in their playpens; Haley was snoozing and Trevor was watching the light up fish tank we put in there to entertain them. Looking at the clock, I knew it was almost Maria’s nap time. Give her ten minutes or so, and she’d start getting insanely fussy; my daughter was like clockwork. “I’ll be back once she’s asleep,” I said, scooping her off the play mat and going to their room.  
After giving Maria her pacifier from her crib, I sat down in the rocking chair and slowly rocked with Maria trying to coax her to sleep. Within five minutes of rocking, she was starting to fuss, kicking and flailing her little hands to let me know just how cranky she was getting. Five minutes later, she had fallen asleep, dropping her pacifier out of her mouth. I set her down, gently, in her crib and turned on the baby monitor before going back to join Hunter in the living room.  
When I got back in the living room, Hunter was on the floor with the twins, cooing and fussing over them. At some noises, they both gave him a gummy smile, while being completely unresponsive at others. I was just about to lay down with them when there was a knock at the door. Hunter looked at me quizzically and I shrugged in response. I went to get the door before they decided to ring the doorbell, speed walking and reaching for the doorknob. I opened the door and met a blue pair of eyes I’d hoped I’d never see again.  
“Oh honey, I’m home.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
Michael. Michael was here, at my door, with my boyfriend and the kids in the house. Every nerve in my body was screaming to shut the door, but I couldn’t move. I haven’t seen him in almost a year, and I’m pretty sure we both told him to stay away. Yet here he was, seeking entrance to our house. “Ames? You gonna let me in or what?” he asked, acting as if nothing had ever happened between us.  
In that same instant, Hunter came to the door, “Babe, who’s at the door?” The tension after they made eye contact was tangible. I prepared myself for the explosion I knew Michael was about to have.  
“Amelia, who the fuck is this?” Michael said, pushing his way into the house to get face to face with Hunter. I couldn’t move or talk; I was completely frozen.  
“I’m gonna go call Bree,” I choked out, rushing down the hall to my phone. I dialed the number with shaking fingers and paced the floor until she picked up. Part of me was worried about leaving Hunter and Michael alone, but I needed to get Bree home as soon as possible.  
“Amelia, this better be important. I’m in the middle of an informal interview, and it’s going really well,” she huffed.   
“Michael’s here,” I said.  
“I’ll be home as soon as I can,” she said and hung up, leaving a dial tone in my ear. I set the phone down and went back to the door where Hunter and Michael were just staring each other down. Neither male was backing down: Michael knew his children, biologically, were here, but Hunter took the time and practically helped raise them thus far, despite them not being his in the slightest. The two stood there until Bree got home and shoved past Michael and into the house. Bree, always the bolder of us, pushed right in saying, “Is there any particular reason you’re here, Michael?”  
“You have no right to keep my kids away from me.”  
I sighed; I knew this argument was coming the moment I answered the door and saw his face. “We have every right to keep them away from you. You gave us that right when you didn’t bother being involved when you found out we were pregnant.”  
“Why don’t we go sit down in the kitchen,” I said, knowing this was going to take much longer than necessary. Bree and Michael went straight to the kitchen, but Hunter held me back for a moment.  
“This is the kids’ father?” I nodded. “Based on what you’ve told me, your best bet might be to take him to court. The kids are still young and will never know there was a custody case. If there’s any time to do it, it would be now.” I just nodded and dragged him into the kitchen with me.  
When we came in, both Bree and Michael were staring at us expectantly. Now that I was a bit calmer, I took a good look at Michael; he looked horrible. At this point in my life, I wasn’t sure if he always looked this bad and I was just noticing it since I’d seen his real personality, or his life had gotten bad since we last saw him and it was just taking a physical toll. He looked scrawnier than he had when we left, and his hair looked more like straw than his usual gold-blond hair.  
“If we’re all gonna sit here and stare, I’m going to come right out with it. I want full custody,” Michael said.  
“Absolutely not,” Bree and I said in sync.   
“God I hate when you two do that,” Michael said, throwing in a cringe. I raised an eyebrow at him, telling him to continue with his ridiculous request. “I want custody over the three of them. I’m living at home; I have a stable job and can provide for them. Better than this dump,” he said, gesturing to our barren home.  
“You lost any chance at custody of the twins when you raped me,” Bree snarled. “You lost any chance at custody when you refused to acknowledge Amelia was pregnant. You have no chance, and if you’re so sure you want custody, let’s go to court. Because if you take these kids any other way, all we have to do is call the cops and say you kidnapped them.”  
Michael’s face went ashen. “There’s no need for court. I can provide better for them, and you know it. If you were good parents, you’d let me have them and give them what they deserve.”  
That last statement made me lose any cool I had left. “Good parents? I fucking dare you to say something like that again, Michael. Our kids have everything they need; we make sure of that. We are never short on diapers, or formula, or clean clothes for them. I have a job, and Bree is working on getting one. Yeah, our house doesn’t have much, but that’s because it all goes towards what they need. You didn’t even fucking bother to go look in their rooms, you jerk,” I said, my volume rising with each sentence.   
Michael both drooped and perked up at this statement. “You mean they’re here?”  
I immediately regretted even hinting at that; I didn’t want him anywhere near any of them. Especially not near Maria-Grace. “Yeah, of course they’re here. They don’t go to daycare. But you stay here; I don’t want you near my daughter.”  
When Michael mouthed the word ‘daughter’ I internally slapped myself. That was only going to interest him more. “I have a daughter,” he said, then looked at Bree. “Just one daughter, or..?”  
“Two daughters and a son, so-to-speak. They’re in no way yours except you gave them half their DNA.”  
“Wait, you had twins, Bree? I have three children, and no one thought to let me know?”  
When Hunter spoke up, I jumped a little, seeing as how he’d been completely silent this whole time. “No one thought to tell you because no one wanted to tell you. And, based on what they told me, you didn’t want to be told either! Big fucking deal, you fucked and raped two teenaged girls and got them both pregnant. That doesn’t make you a dad; sticking around and caring for both moms and children are what make you a dad. You’d be lucky to be considered a sperm donor!” Hunter roared, angrier than I’d ever seen him.  
“Now for my next question; who the fuck is this guy?” Michael said, eerily calm.  
“I’m Amelia’s boyfriend,” Hunter said. That was the last straw for Michael’s temper. His face turned red, and his fists clenched on the kitchen table. I braced myself for what Michael was going to say next.   
“So, what I’m getting here, is that one: I have three children, not just two, like what was originally assumed, and two: some strange guy is around my own children more than I am?” All three of us nodded. “Absolutely the fuck not!” Michael roared, finally losing his cool and getting up from the table. He made his way over to the three of us, but only Bree and I shrunk away from him. Hunter on the other hand, stood right in his path. What happened next was a complete surprise.  
Michael threw the first punch, aiming straight for Hunter’s face. Hunter took the shot straight on, and then dove for Michael, tackling him into the empty living room. Michael struggled under Hunter’s weight, trying to roll them over, or kick him off at the least, but Hunter never retaliated and never got violent. He simply just waited for Michael to stop thrashing underneath him before saying anything. “I suggest you leave. Now,” Hunter hissed.  
“Why should I? They’re my kids. You’re just the boyfriend to a whore of a teenage mother. I have legal rights-.” Hunter cut him off with a single look.  
“Call either one of them a whore again and I promise you I will knock your teeth in. Now get out, before I ask them to call the police for trespassing as well as assault,” Hunter said, slowly getting up off of Michael, who collected himself before getting up.   
When he was standing, he stared at the three of us before making his way for the door. “I’ll see all three of you in court, I hope you know,” he said before slamming the door behind him.   
It felt like hours before any of us moved; Bree was in tears, I was in shock, and Hunter was holding his swollen jaw. I wasn’t sure who to tend to first, and in all honesty, I just wanted to go see Maria more than anything. How none of the babies woke up during this screaming fest was beyond me, but I just needed the weight of her in my arms. So that’s what I did. I went to the nursery and picked Maria up out of the crib and cradled her in my arms. There was no way I would let Michael, or the court system, take her from me. Once I had convinced myself of that, I put her back in the crib so she could sleep and went back to the kitchen.  
When I returned to the kitchen/living room area, Bree had migrated to the couch, and Hunter was searching for an ice pack. His face had started to bruise where Michael socked him and I swear I could see it throbbing. Hunter was the easier fix, so I got a bag of frozen vegetables and wrapped them in a towel, then gave them to Hunter before going to sit with Bree. “Are you okay?” I asked.  
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I never thought I’d have to see him again after that night at his house. Just his name made my stomach churn, but his face and his presence? I feel like I could throw up right now.”  
“Do you want to bring that up in court?” She shook her head rapidly. “Okay, okay. We won’t. If things go our way, you won’t have to see him again after court. If the court rules in his favor, I’ll handle things, okay?” She nodded.  
“Can you take care of everything? I need a shower,” I nodded and she got up to go shower. I went over to Hunter to make sure he was okay.  
“How’s your jaw?” I asked, taking the chair next to him. I removed the bag of vegetables to examine it more closely. It was red from the cold, and black and blue from bruising, but nothing looked horribly wrong.  
“It hurts, but I don’t think anything is broken or out of place.” He sighed deeply before continuing, “I’m sorry.”  
“Why are you sorry? Michael was only here because of Bree and I, and we didn’t have to let him in.”  
“I’m sorry for letting you see me lose my temper. I’ve always had one, but I try so hard to keep it in check when people are around. Especially you.”  
I put a hand on his cheek, “I understand. I’ve always had a bad temper too. Even as a child, according to my mother. I’ m not afraid of you, or upset at you, or anything. If anything, I’m grateful you were here. I’m not sure what would have happened if I was here alone and he came knocking.” I kissed him gently as he wrapped his arms around me. Despite what had just happened, I’d never felt safer.  
“Look, I’m fine. If you need to go lay down, or get out of the house, I can watch everyone. I know how much that stressed the both of you out. Why don’t you and Bree go out?” he suggested.  
I shook my head, “I really want to stay here and spend some time with Maria. I’m honestly afraid that the court will rule in his favor. He has a better job than me, and makes more than me as well. I don’t think not being around will change anything.”  
He pulled away from me to look me in the eye. “I promise you that he will not take the kids. His job may be stable, but he sure as hell isn’t. The kids are staying right here, in our care.”  
“The court systems want children to have the best life possible. With more money, he may be able to provide better than Bree and I combined.”  
“It isn’t only money, Amelia. If I walk into court sporting this bruise on my face, they’ll see he’s violent and unstable. You just have to trust me that you’re not going to lose Maria or any of the babies,” he pressed a kiss to my forehead and held me tight.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
We decided it would be best for us to go to the police before Michael did so we’d be in control of the situation. We took pictures of Hunter’s face that night, and went to the police the next morning. The court date, for assault and custody, as well as child support, was set for a month from now, December 18th. I was thankful for the quick processing; at almost 4 months old, Maria would never remember there was this kind of problem surrounding her and her ‘father’.  
Aside from having no memory at four months old, Maria could hold her head and chest up while laying on her stomach, and even make moves to roll herself over. Rolling wasn’t entirely there yet, but we were getting there. She had figured out grabbing things, and nothing was safe from her grasp; from my hair to her rattles and stuffed animals, it has all been grabbed and pulled on or shaken. Each new development was amazing to watch; watching her grow was my favorite thing.   
In the days approaching the court date, I felt my anxiety levels rise, as well as my need to have Maria nearby. Despite the logic in Hunter’s argument that original night, I was still afraid the court would rule in Michael’s favor. Hopefully the assault charges would sway things in our direction, but I really wish I could convince Bree to mention the twins’ conception; that would definitely put things right for us.  
Maria was up bright and early on the 18th which meant I was too. I got up and immediately got a bottle out for her and began warming it up. While it warmed, I went to change her out of her wet overnight diaper. As soon as I crossed into her line of sight, her crying stopped and her toothless grin reached her eyes; she loved me. I heard the bottle warmer ding in the kitchen, and scooped her up to give her breakfast.   
As she was sucking up the last of her breakfast, Hunter came walking through the door, dressed very handsomely in a suit. He wasn’t joking around about this court case. “You need to start getting ready. I’ll take care of all the babies. Wake up Bree and you two start getting ready. We need to be there early,” he said, taking Maria from me.   
I was taken aback by his demeanor; I’d never seen him this serious. I knew the encounter with Michael had made him mad, but I didn’t know it was this mad. I left him with Maria and went to wake Bree. She was less than thrilled to be awake, which was understandable because I knew she didn’t want to see him again. We got ready together, occasionally pushing each other to finish, or helping the other with something like hair or a zipper.   
I had on a black business suit, similar to Hunter’s, with my hair in loose waves down my shoulders, and Bree was wearing a dark red dress with her hair tied back in a bun. Hunter had dressed all three babies, much less formally of course, and had them strapped in their car seats, ready to go when we stepped out of our room. “Let’s get this over with, right?” he said, lifting Trevor’s carrier. I grabbed Maria’s while Bree grabbed Haley’s, and we went out to our cars.  
Hunter had decided it would be best to take separate vehicles, due to the three baby carriers needing to come with us, so Hunter took his car and Maria-Grace, while Bree and I took my car with the twins. We met up twenty minutes later outside of the courthouse, all of us sporting the same solemn demeanor. “I hate that we have to bring the kids in with us. It’s not even that I don’t want him near them. It’s more like I hate the fact they’re practically being used as evidence,” I said.  
Bree nodded in agreement, took Haley’s carrier, and made her way into the lobby. Michael was there waiting, and Hunter immediately walked in front of Bree and I. “What do you want, jerk?”   
“We really don’t need to do this,” Michael said, sounding nervous.  
“What, did you finally realize that they’ll drug test you before granting you custody?” Bree sneered. Michael’s face went even paler than before. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I knew you were using something as soon as I saw you sitting in our kitchen. Well too bad, Michael, because we’re going through with this case.” With that, Bree made her way into the courtroom, leaving the three of us with Michael.  
“Don’t even say anything. Bree is one-hundred percent right,” Hunter said, pulling me with him to follow Bree. When we were all seated appropriately, the trial started.   
The judge started with Hunter and Michael’s case, as that would require the least amount of time. Hunter told his side of the story first, and then I was called as a witness. As I swore in as a witness, Michael was glaring at me, almost threatening me not to do this. “Alright, Miss Ramsey, I’d like you to tell me about your encounter with the defendant.”  
I glanced at him one more time before looking at Hunter and starting the story. “Well, my boyfriend and I were at home with the kids when there was a knock on the door. The person knocking was Mr. Darien, of course. At first he was civil; unwanted, but civil. I knew he wasn’t here just to talk to me, so I called my sister home to help handle this. She came home, and that’s when things went from civil to uncivil. Mr. Darien began to get angry, and got violent just as quickly, and then punched my boyfriend in the face. My boyfriend, Mr. Rowe, simply held him down until he calmed down and left.” I was allowed to step down as soon as I finished, and we took a break so they could figure out a proper penalty.  
In the end, the court decided that Michael had to pay a fine of $1,500, and was bound to ‘good behavior’ for a year for assaulting Hunter the way he did. Boy, that year wasn’t even going to start once they drug tested him for the custody case.   
“The custody case involving Michael Darien, Amelia, Bree, Haley, Trevor, and Maria-Grace Ramsey will begin now. Everyone please return and be seated,” the judge called, returning us to the court room. My nerves were running high now; despite practically knowing the court wouldn’t rule in his favor, I was still terrified at the idea of losing my little girl. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go so I had no idea what I would say.   
They called me up to the stands first again. I sat down and looked for Hunter in the crowd. He nodded reassuringly at me, seeming to sense my nerves. The first question was easy; what was Michael to me? “Well, at the time of my daughter’s conception, he was just my boyfriend.” That’s all there was to it; no details needed.  
“And after your daughter’s conception?”  
“We stayed together, sort of, until I knew I was pregnant. Once I told him, he grew distant and we ultimately broke up,” I said.  
“Now what about your sister? Where do her and her children fall in all of this?”  
I hesitated on this one; Bree didn’t want the conception of the twins to really come up. “Michael had been unfaithful during all of this, and decided my sister was a good person to be unfaithful with.”  
“So your sister was willingly sleeping with a man she knew was your boyfriend?”  
I went to respond to this, but I was cut off by Bree, “No. Not willingly. Michael and I were friends while he and Amelia dated, but when they were rocky, Michael raped me and the twins were conceived.” My jaw dropped at Bree’s statement.   
“So what you’re saying, Ms. Ramsey is that we also have a sexual assault case here, and not just the custody case?” Bree nodded slowly, realizing what she had actually said. “Okay, Amelia, you can step down. We need to regroup here.”  
I left the stand and went over to Bree, who was zoned out and sort of unresponsive. “Bree, are you alright?” She nodded. “You know you didn’t have to say any of that, right? They’re going to question you more extensively, now.”  
“I know. But I just can’t stand the thought of him getting away with that, or even getting some custody over the kids. They’re ours, and he has no right to them. Especially not the twins,” she scoffed.  
I gave her a sad smile and said, “I’m proud of you, Bree. Considering I walked in at one point, they can’t refute it.”  
“This case is ours, and so are the kids,” Bree said firmly.  
In the end, the case really was ours. Aside from Michael going to jail for ten years, for rape and drug use, we got full custody as well as a restraining order in place. The restraining order had no expiration and applied to Maria-Grace, Haley, Trevor, Bree, Hunter and myself. Bree and I would never have to deal with Michael again, and the kids would never have to worry about a revolving-door dad. Personally, I’d consider taking him to court a solid success.  
We celebrated that night, Bree, Hunter and I. We hired a last minute babysitter and went out to dinner together. Because of money, we kept it simple, but that’s all we needed; we already felt on top of the world. Michael was gone, the kids were 100% in our custody, and our life at home was stable. In my life I’d learned to never say nothing could go wrong, but it really felt as if nothing could go wrong and bring us down.  
When Christmas rolled around, our spirits were still high, but not as high as after the court case. With Christmas, and thus Christmas presents, staring us in the face, we were made painfully aware of our financial situation; Santa would not be plentiful this year. Luckily the babies were young, so they wouldn’t remember such a barren Christmas.   
We had agreed to keep gift exchange between the three of us small, and focus what money we had left towards the babies. I had gotten Bree some new clothes, and Hunter a simple silver chain necklace. I was also in charge of getting the babies their Christmas pajamas, as per a family tradition to gift everyone pajamas on Christmas Eve. Otherwise, Christmas would be quiet and solemn, even.  
Hunter showed up at 6 that night, after his shift at work. We had scrounged up a basic Christmas dinner of ham, potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Hunter helped us cook and watch the kids while doing so. We had eaten by eight and dressed the kids in their pajamas; they were asleep and waiting for Santa by nine. Bree and I were asleep by ten, everything set up for the next morning.  
In the morning, Bree and I woke up to a tree with more presents under it than we had put there. As an adult, I knew better than to assume Santa really had come, but at this point, I had no other option. Until Hunter greeted me with a sly smile and a wink. “Hunter Seth, what did you do?”   
“Wasn’t me, Santa came,” he said, slyly.   
“Hunter, I mean it. This is too much. How did you even scrounge up the money for this?” I asked.  
“Saved up paychecks and took on more hours when they were available. You all are like family, and I wanted everyone to have a good Christmas. I knew you’d be mad if I focused the presents toward you two, so I made Christmas for the babies,” he said. All three babies were strapped into new bouncer chairs in front of the tree, dressed in their Christmas pajamas; it was picturesque between them and the tree.  
Hunter made us breakfast while Bree and I sifted through the bags and boxes left under the tree. Each baby got a handful of new clothes and outfits, as well as some toys. The gifts meant for Bree and I were mostly things to help us take care of the babies as well as some clothes and material items for ourselves. When we finished going through those, I gave Hunter his present, which felt mediocre after what he just did for us.  
“You really didn’t need to do this, Hunter. We have no way to repay you,” Bree said as she gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek.  
“Good thing I’m not looking for repayment. They’re like my own kids; I just want them happy and healthy,” he said. “Like I said, I feel like this is a family… Some weird version of a family, but a family nonetheless. We take care of each other.”  
I teared up at his words and moved in to hug him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and tucked me into his chest, allowing me to cry in privacy. I felt his lips on my hair and a gentle hand rubbing my back while I settled into him. “I’m sorry; I’ve just never felt this before. This whole… Familial thing. We didn’t have our dad growing up, and we surely didn’t have our mom. I never once thought I’d be in a position like this. Thank you so much, Hunter,” I said, before cupping his face in my hands and kissing him gently.  
That Christmas was easily the best I ever had. We cleaned up all the boxes and bags, put away the clothes and set up all the toys and things, and finally just spent the rest of the day relishing in each other’s presence. That evening we all sat on the couch, each of us holding a baby, and just talked, ignoring anything else in the world that wasn’t our family. So it was no surprise that the one phone call we decided to answer actually was our family. Remember when I said nothing could go wrong? Yeah, I was so wrong.


	12. Chapter 12

I couldn’t believe that, within a month of a huge court case, I was packing up the car to go back home. Shortly after the court case, the local news back home published a story about the court case, and mom had seen it. Needless to say, Bree and I got a very shrill phone call from mom the evening after we opened presents. She demanded we come home for a visit and supposedly important discussion. This trip home might actually be more stressful than the court case.  
Once the babies were settled into their car seats and Bree was sitting in the back with them, we set off on our little road trip. “I still can’t believe we’re doing this. It’s not like she can force us; we’re eighteen,” I said bitterly.  
“Unfortunately, you’re wrong. Our cars are in her name, and she knows that. One phone call could land us in jail for theft. I don’t put it past her to pull that card on us, so we kind of have to appease her right now,” she said.  
I rolled my eyes at that, refusing to verbally admit Bree was right. “So we appease her until we can save enough for a car,” I suggested.  
“That’s gonna be awhile with our current situation. I have an idea, but you’re really not-.”  
“I’m not moving back in with mom. I’ll appease her with visits, but I’m not moving back in,” I snarled, cutting her off.  
“Even if it’s what’s best for the kids?”  
“We’re doing fine on our own. As long as we keep her happy, and keep our jobs and cars, we’ll be fine.” That was the end of that; we were silent until we pulled into the all-too-familiar driveway. I grimaced at the thought of walking through that front door again.  
“You wait here with the babies. I’m going to let her know we’re here,” Bree said, sliding out of the car. To me, this wasn’t waiting; it was simply me refusing to get out of the car and be in my mother’s presence. When Bree came back, she started unloading the car, taking the playpens and baby bags. This left me to take the actual babies as well as a separate bag of toys. I took Maria and waited by the car for Bree to take the twins.   
Initially, things were fine; mom was too caught up with the babies to be angry right away. “Those curls are from your grandpa, you know,” mom said to Maria. I absolutely hated the sight of my daughter in her arms. It only reminded me of how much my mom ruined her own two daughters. The thought made me want to rip Maria away from her, but my common sense shut that idea down.  
“So there are Maria-Grace, Haley Savannah, and Trevor Alexander,” mom said, wincing at the allusion to our father in Trevor’s name. “I have three grandkids, who I’m just finding out about,” her tone changed from excitement to the ‘pissed off’ tone I grew up with. “Now, why are they almost four and five months old, and I’m just finding out about them?”  
Bree looked to me for an answer at the same time I looked at her for one. There was no way for me to answer this calmly, so I urged Bree to be the one to answer. “We had no reason to tell you. Over the course of our lives, you never gave us any reasons to trust you. So why would we trust you with one of the biggest things in our lives?”  
“Let me guess, you’re both going to blame me and my drinking. That’s the way these things always go. You two fuck up, we talk about it, and then you turn it around to my being an ‘alcoholic’,” mom started. “Have you ever considered that maybe it’s the fact your father isn’t around? Or maybe it’s the fact your fuck ups drove the best thing that ever happened to me out of my life?”  
“What do you mean our fuck ups? We were barely seven when dad left!” I interjected, immediately set off by her version of the blame game.  
“He always had an uncanny judge of character. He knew you’d turn into horrible kids, so he left. He wanted nothing to do with either of your futures. Especially yours, Amelia,” mom said, glaring my way.  
I physically recoiled at this statement; I always knew she blamed us for dad leaving, but now the blame had shifted to me alone. Taking Maria out of her grasp, I retreated to what used to be my room. I lay with my legs propped up and put Maria in the crook of my hips and raised knees.  
She studied me, dark blue eyes scanning my face. It appeared as if she was trying to tell me things would be okay, but I knew better considering her being four months old. I rubbed her tiny hands with my index finger and said, “You don’t understand yet, but I promise to never treat you the way your grandma treated your aunt Bree and I. You’ll grow up without her in your life if that’s what it takes.” I only got a dribble of drool in response.  
Bree appeared in the doorway however long later and said, “We’re leaving. Apparently mom has had enough of us for now.”  
“Yeah, she’s had enough of us,” I scoffed, putting anger out instead of the hurt I was feeling. Picking up Maria’s sleeping form, I bundled her in her blanket and went out to the car. Bree had already loaded our things, and the twins, so we were ready to go.  
The whole ride home was silent; I had nothing to say. Bree was white-knuckled in her grip on the steering wheel; she was angrier than I had seen her in years.   
We got home late that night, unloaded the babies and their stuff, and quickly discovered they did not like being off-schedule. Trevor was wailing as if we never fed him, and Maria refused to be put down and acknowledge that it was bed time. Haley, thankfully, ate and went straight to sleep. Bree and I collapsed into bed, the emotional drain of today hitting us like a ton of bricks.  
“I can’t believe her,” Bree said, turning to face me.  
“I can. She’s always treated me that way,” I said.  
“I never knew,” Bree whispered. “She’s never been that bad to me.”  
“That’s because I always took it for you.”  
“What?”  
“I always took her shit for you. Whenever she was angry or drunk, I’d do something to keep her attention on me until she’d lose interest or pass out. I’d take the hits; verbally or literally,” I said in a way to end the conversation for the night. I rolled over, showing Bree my back, and pretended to go to sleep.  
Once I heard Bree’s soft snores, I padded into Maria’s nursery. She was sleeping soundly, so I just sat in the blanket-lined rocking chair and looked around the room. Compared to my childhood, the room was barren, containing only the necessities and few frivolities. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like I only had a childhood full of toys and things to compensate for my parents never being around. I’d gladly leave Maria’s room empty instead of full, so long as I was filling her life with love and attention; I’d be better than what I grew up with.  
I ended up falling asleep in the rocking chair that night, only being woken up by Bree shaking my shoulder. “When did you leave our room?” she paused, thought for a moment, and finally asked, “You didn’t do anything, did you?”  
My temper flared at this question; I hadn’t done anything, in the sense she was asking, in over a year. Once I found out I was pregnant, all of my old vices were out of my life. “Why would I have done anything like that? I have a daughter to think of!”  
“I was just wondering… Things were like this in middle scho-.”   
“This isn’t middle school, Bree; it’s the real world now. Shit might have happened yesterday, but I have other things to worry about,” I hissed, standing up out of the chair and standing square with Bree. “Now, if you please, drop the subject because I’m done talking about it.” With that, I stormed into the living room only to find Hunter on the couch, looking concerned.  
“Wanna talk about it?” He asked simply. I chewed my lip at his question; only Bree and Anna knew about this part of my life, and I’d had no intention of telling Hunter. I guess I had no choice now.  
I grabbed his wrist without a word, and dragged him to Bree’s and my room. I sat on the bed and stared at him in awkward silence. He knew I had something to say, but I didn’t know where to start; or if I even wanted to start. “I see those gears turning in your head, Amelia. Start from the beginning,” he said gently.  
“I was bullied a lot in middle school… That’s when all of this started; middle school. Kids would bully me about my dad never being around, and mom would abuse me at home. In middle school, it was just self-harm. As things got worse in high school, it became self-harm, and drinking, and drugs, and smoking… I did some pretty bad shit, and in tenth grade, I tried to kill myself.”   
By now, I found my way into Hunter’s arms, burying my face into the crook of his neck and taking in the relaxing scent of his cologne. I couldn’t bring myself to continue just yet, so Hunter took over, “I did too. I was tired of being the parent to my younger brother; it was killing my grades and my social life. So I tried to kill myself.” He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a white-ish patch of raised skin; he had tried to slash his wrists.  
Absentmindedly, I ran a finger over the raised skin and said, “You’re here now, and that’s what matters. Your brother turned out okay, and that’s what matters. I don’t think I turned out that great… I swallowed a bunch of pills and never got the help I needed. No one who knew could do anything to help me, and that’s when things escalated to the drugs and drinking. The only reason I’ve stopped is because of Maria.”  
“You’re here now, and that’s what matters,” Hunter repeated me. “You’re here, and you’re taking good care of yourself and Maria-Grace. That’s what matters.”  
“I know, but sometimes those days just… Haunt me. I wake up and want to take a razor blade to my thighs, or go party with Anna to see what kind of drugs I can score. Sometimes I wonder if that part of me ever stopped,” I said, silent tears making their way down my face.  
Hunter used the pads of his thumb to wipe away my tears, and held me even tighter, letting me sob into his chest. We sat this way until I heard Maria cry. I tried to push myself away from him to take care of her, but he pushed me back down, said, “No, I’ll take care of her for now,” kissed my forehead, and left to take care of the crying baby.  
While he took care of her, I sat on the bed and tried to stop crying. I had just revealed the darkest of my past to the first person outside of Anna and Bree, and I had no idea how he felt about it. Sure, he had a similar past, but that was about him. What about me? So I asked him as soon as he came back, and, with no hesitation, he said, “My feelings for you could never change, Amelia Rose. It doesn’t matter whether you were suicidal, or homicidal, or what have you; you have me wrapped around your finger and there’s no place else I’d rather be.”


	13. Chapter 13

In the next few weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, Hunter really proved his words; he was at our house more often than not, and was really helping with all the babies. At night, he would kiss me goodnight and sleep on the couch, and since he was closer, he’d get to a crying baby faster than Bree or me. We were finally getting a full night’s sleep; the first ones since the babies were born.  
My baby, hovering at about five and a half months old, was developing too quickly for my taste. She had found her feet and toes, and her reflection; neither of which she’d voluntarily leave alone. Her rolling had made more progress, and she could currently roll from her stomach over to her back. My favorite new development was her ability to hold a bottle; she’d grab onto a bottle, drink it quickly, and shriek when someone took it away. She had a similar reaction to someone taking her away from Hunter. It seemed that Maria was just as smitten with him as I was.  
I woke up early the morning of February 13th to a phone call from work; they needed me to come in ASAP because someone else called in sick. “Shit, Bree, wake up,” I said hurriedly, shaking her awake.  
She shoved me at first, not wanting to wake up yet, but finally sat up glaring at me. “What’s wrong?”  
“I need to go into work, but Hunter has to work. Can you sit for me?”  
“You know I will, but I have work at one. What if you don’t get off in time to be home?”  
I cursed under my breath and ran around trying to get ready and think of how to fix the babysitter situation. “Okay, I have to go… Can you call Anna at about ten and ask her to come down and sit? Tell her I’ll pay her gas money as well as for watching everyone. Before you go you need to get their stuff ready for Anna, and I think that’s it. See you later!”  
I practically ran to my car, sped the entire way to work, and ran to clock-in. I ran into my boss while doing so, and went out on a limb because of the whole situation, “Hey Mrs. Jett, I was wondering if you’d be able to pay me overtime for coming in today? I didn’t have a sitter lined up for my daughter, and my boyfriend and sister both have to work.”   
She looked at me with an expression that made me brace myself for being reprimanded. “I’m sorry, Amelia, but we just don’t have the money to pay anyone overtime. I understand your situation all too well, but we just can’t swing the extra money,” she said sympathetically. I nodded and silently thanked her anyway, and went on to working.  
By the time I got home that night, it was after 6PM; I had worked a 10-hour shift. Hunter was here and there was no sign of Anna. “Hunter, how long have you been here?” I asked cautiously, afraid of the answer; had he taken off work because Anna couldn’t come?  
“Oh, maybe an hour? I got off at five, and came over here. Anna was here, so I paid her and said she could go home if she needed. How was your day at work?” He asked, giving me no room to chastise him for paying Anna.  
“It was horrible. First I couldn’t get paid overtime, then I got stuck doing a ten hour shift pretty much on my own. We were absolutely mobbed today because everyone is getting ready for Valentine’s Day, and-. Shit,” I cursed.  
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked.  
“I didn’t get you anything for Valentine’s Day,”  
Hunter chuckled a little and said, “You don’t need to get me anything, sweetheart. All I need is you. All to myself.”  
“Yeah, well, good luck with that; I have an infant in case you’ve forgotten.”  
“I have tomorrow all planned out for you; you don’t have to worry about a thing once I get here.”  
I perked up at this. It sounded like I was finally getting a day to fully relax. “Oh god, you’re the best boyfriend ever!” I exclaimed and grabbed him, kissing him deeply.  
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss further. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging slightly, and nipped at his bottom lip, causing him to groan. A crying baby, most likely Maria having heard my voice, is the only reason we separated. Between three babies, and my fear of getting pregnant again, Hunter and I hadn’t done much more than making out and getting handsy with each other; we’d been at this for over half a year, and the sexual tension was high between us. And, to be completely honest, I missed that side of a relationship; I missed being touched that way. “Maybe tomorrow,” I whispered in his ear and went to go take care of Maria.  
She was sitting up in her crib and cooed when she saw me. “Hi baby, mommy’s home,” I said, lifting her out of the crib. Based on the time, I knew it was time for her to eat, so I sat in the rocking chair and lifted my shirt. She latched quickly, causing me to wince; I could feel the start of a few teeth coming in. “It’s almost time for just bottles for you, miss,” I said, watching her eat. She only appeared to grin around my nipple in response.  
When she was done, I took her out into the living room where Hunter was watching Trevor and Haley play on the floor. Maria went wild in my arms when she spotted him, and shrieked until he was holding her. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Maria likes you better,” I joked.  
She was currently playing with his dark hair, grinning wildly. “Well, c’mon, what’s not to like?” Hunter asked, an innuendo hiding behind his smirk.  
“I guess I’ll have to find out, won’t I?” I said, playing along.  
The next morning, I woke up next to Bree, as usual, but today I did not wake up to a crying baby; just a text from Hunter:  
Hey baby, I picked up an early shift and I should be off around lunchtime.   
Wear something nice and pack an overnight bag. Everything else has been taken care of.  
See you soon.”  
I smiled, rolled out of bed, and made my way to Maria’s nursery. By some small miracle, she was still sleeping, so I pumped a few bottle’s worth of milk for her. Once that was done, I went back to my room to pick something to wear and pack my bag.  
Packing was the easy part, but picking something ‘nice’ was a bit more challenging. How ‘nice’ did it have to be? Business casual? Formal? I had no idea, so I settled on something somewhere in between; a black half-sleeve dress that reached just above my knee with matching heels. He could tell me if it was too much when he got here later.  
It was about 9:30 when I heard one of the babies crying mid-laundry folding. I went and checked the nurseries, and the one crying was Trevor. He was typically one of the easier babies, the two girls being a bit more fussy and temperamental. His crying stopped once he was in my arms, knowing that breakfast and a dry diaper was on the way.   
He was mid-bottle when Haley woke up, and I swore under my breath; it’d been a long time since I was alone with all three babies. I prayed silently he’d finish before Haley’s crying woke up Maria, but I got no such luck. By the time Trevor was done and changed, I had two babies crying for breakfast and a change.   
I was definitely a mess when Hunter came in from work; baby spit-up littering my shirt, and one culprit of the spit-up crying in the playpen. I was currently trying to juggle Haley and Trevor in my arms, and felt bad neglecting Maria and leaving her to cry in her playpen. Hunter, truly being my knight in shining armor, scooped Maria up and calmed her down. Once Maria calmed down, Haley and Trevor calmed down too.   
“I see you had a fun morning,” Hunter joked while tickling Maria’s feet.  
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” I deadpanned. “When are we leaving for whatever it is you have planned? I could really use adult time, after this.”  
“As soon as the sitter gets here; I told them to get here around one, so we have some time,” he explained. “Can I see what you’re wearing tonight?” I led him to my room where the dress was hanging and waited for his opinion. When I looked over, he was practically drooling. “That’s perfect.”  
I was just about to respond when there was a knock at the door. Hunter smiled and said, “Go get dressed, that would be the babysitter.” I hurriedly cleaned myself up, put on some makeup and got dressed, checking my reflection before grabbing my bag and going out to the living room to rejoin Hunter.  
“Woah, bitch, you look hot,” an unexpected voice said.  
I looked up only to lock eyes with Anna and gasped excitedly; I didn’t get to see her yesterday when she babysat for us and I really missed her. “What are you doing here? How did you have the gas to drive back and forth two days in a row?” I asked, bombarding her with questions until she cut me off.  
“I’m babysitting tonight and helping Bree while you go out with this gorgeous guy here, to answer question number one. And, as for question two, I never went home. Hunter had me stay at his place last night since he knew I’d be babysitting again tonight. Now. No more questions, you two get out of here,” Anna said, not so subtly herding us out the door.  
Our first stop that afternoon was Hunter’s apartment so I could drop my stuff off. It was small, but cozy; one bedroom, one bathroom and a decently-sized conjoined living room/kitchen area. I went to the bedroom to put my bag down, and there was a bouquet of roses in a vase sitting on the nightstand along with a cute little teddy bear. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Hunter whispered in my ear, sliding his arms around my waist.   
I smiled and turned to face him, placing a kiss on his lips. “Thank you,” I said. “But I didn’t have time to get you anything.”  
“I told you yesterday, baby; having you the rest of today and tonight, all to myself, is more than enough for me,” he said, his lips brushing against mine. Between being alone with him, and being this pressed against him, I wanted to say screw whatever he had planned. But he had other ideas, “Lemme get dressed and we can go ahead and get started with your little… surprise.”  
I pouted and he chuckled, pulling his shirt off and exchanging it for a plain black flannel button down and khaki pants. “You look nice… Are you sure we have to go out for my surprise?” I asked, putting my arms up on his shoulders. Since yesterday, I’ve had a one-track mind about possibly taking our relationship further today.  
“Yes, I’m sure. Now, let’s go,” he said and took my hand, leading me out of the apartment and down to his car. Despite wanting to stay in the apartment with him, I was excited to see what he had in store for me.  
The afternoon consisted of a picnic in the park, a movie, and a short shopping trip before we got home. When we got home, he immediately went to the kitchen and started cooking. He had picked up various ingredients at the store, so I was curious to see what the final product would be. “Babe, what’re you making for dinner?” I asked him for the millionth time. I’d been asking him since we started food shopping for dinner, but he’d given me no hints as to what we’d be having.  
“You’ll see when it’s done, Amelia. Has anyone told you your patience is awful?” He asked playfully.   
“They have, actually. It’s especially bad now, because I’m looking forward to this,” I said.  
“Well, if you can wait, like, ten more minutes, your patience will be rewarded,” Hunter said, and sure enough, about ten minutes later he was plating our meal; he had made linguine and clam sauce.  
“How on earth did you know this is one of my favorite dishes?” I asked him.  
“I asked around. Your friends, and sister, are more than willing to give up information about you,” he chuckled. The conversation at the table was light and fun, and it was completely foreign to me, not listening for a crying baby. I will admit I missed Maria-Grace, but I was also enjoying the freedom for a few hours. After we had finished, Hunter took up our plates and began cleaning the kitchen. At this point, I’d had enough waiting and I had a plan to get what I wanted.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
While he was bent over the sink, I came up behind him and slid my hands around his waist. “Well, hello,” he said, sounding surprised. I didn’t say anything and continued to slide my hands down to rub him through his pants. I stretched myself up to kiss his shoulders and neck. “Babe,” he chuckled, “what are you doing?”  
“Nothing,” I said, continuing to rub him through his pants. “Do you want to turn around for me?”  
The dishes in his hands thudded into the sink and he turned around. “Amelia, what are you doing?”  
“I’ve been waiting all day to have you, so the kitchen is going to have to wait,” I said, surprised at the huskiness in my voice.  
“I-If this is what y-you want, we should go to th-the bedroom,” Hunter stammered. We went to the bedroom and I immediately attacked his lips with mine. I pressed myself against him and nipped his lip, eliciting a moan from him. I ran my hand along the front of his jeans, and worked on the button so I could pull them down.  
Before I made any progress there, Hunter stopped me, “Baby, we don’t have to do this tonight. Or at all, it’s perfectly fine.”  
I shook my head and said, “I’ve been wanting to take this next step with you for so long, we just don’t get much alone time. We’ve been teasing each other back and forth for so long; let me do this for you.” I worked his pants and boxers down his legs, and once he sprung free from the elastic, I couldn’t help but stare; he was much bigger than Michael.  
Once my shock subsided, I took him in my mouth, wrapping my hand around what I couldn’t fit. His head immediately lolled back, a moan escaping his lips, and he bucked his hips into my mouth. Within a few minutes, we had a rhythm going between my mouth and his hips, and he emptied himself with a moan of my name. I took him out of my mouth with a crude pop and he collapsed back onto the bed. I crawled up and lay next to him, waiting for him to catch his breath and say something. “That was amazing,” he finally said.  
“Was it? I’d only ever done that a few times with Michael,” I admitted, almost sheepishly. Despite not wanting to look like a whore, Michael and I had fooled around a few times, but never reached having sex until the night Maria-Grace was conceived.  
After a few moments of silence, Hunter rolled onto his side, facing me, his head propped up on his hand. “Are you sure this is what you want, Amelia? You’re not doing this because you think you think you have to?”  
“No, Hunter,” I chuckled, smiling widely. “I want to do this. I don’t feel… Compelled, I don’t feel pressured. I don’t feel like I have to. Yes, I consented to having sex with Michael, but part of me wasn’t all in. I know what being pressured into sex feels like, and this isn’t it.” I leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss on his lips. “Now what about you?”  
“I’m a guy, what do you think?” He answered quickly, shaking his head, a laugh coming from his chest. “No, no, in all seriousness, I do want to take this step with you. We’ve known each other almost a year now, and, Amelia, I fell for you the moment I saw you.”   
“Didn’t stop you from flirting with Bree the day we met,” I teased.   
“Oh, come on! You’re twins!”   
“I’m teasing, Hunter.”  
He blushed furiously and said, “I knew that.” Peaceful silence settled over us again, and so I scooted closer to him, nestling my head into the crook of his neck. An arm wrapped around me, pulling me flush against him, and he whispered, “Kiss me.”  
I tilted my head up and kissed him, softly on the mouth, and he gently moved us so he was on top of me. We kissed, slowly, drinking each other in, my hands roaming his bare back, lightly tracing my fingers across his skin. Nothing about this felt rushed, and, surprisingly to me, I didn’t feel any lust. Hunter wasn’t here for just my body; not just another lay. A feeling that only made me want him more. “You know,” I whispered. “It’s not fair that I’ve still got clothes on when you’re completely undressed.”  
He leaned back, letting me sit up, and unzipped my dress. Slowly, he worked the fabric down and off my body, kissing every few inches of newly exposed skin. Because my dress was off-the-shoulders, I wasn’t wearing a bra, a fact that I knew excited Hunter greatly. Finally, he slipped my panties off, tossing them on the pile of clothes we had started on the floor by the bed, and went to his nightstand.   
Hunter held up a square of foil and asked, “You’re not allergic to latex, right?” I shook my head ‘no’ and he slipped the condom on before rejoining me in bed. “I know you said yes earlier, I just want to make sure. This is what you want?” He asked, settling between my legs.   
“Yes, Hunter, make love to me,” I said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. We both let out a moan as he sunk into me, slowly, his skin meeting mine when he was all the way in. He was studying me, waiting for me to give the okay, so I nodded and he began to move slowly, taking his time.   
We moved together in sync, moaning and kissing, one of his hands entwined with mine, while my other hand gripped at his hair. Soon, I felt a familiar… Tight feeling in the lower half of my stomach. “H-Hunter,” I stammered, his name escaping my mouth as a moan. He shushed me with a kiss as I wrapped a leg around his waist, pulling him closer. My body felt like it was out of my control as I gripped his hand, and his hair, tighter, moaning in pleasure. He dipped into me again, and I lost any control I had left, as my orgasm wracked my body. I cried out his name sharply, and bit into his shoulder to quiet myself.   
Hunter was still going as I came down from my high, and he didn’t seem anywhere close to finished; his face was calm, his eyes studying me, and his movements were still slow and graceful. Then he smirked, and suddenly his mouth was on my neck, kissing and nibbling, as he whispered quiet words of his love to me. I felt myself losing control again, the feeling of his mouth on my neck too much, and I slid a hand down his back, digging my nails in as I went. “H-Hunter, I’m gonna-.” The words were cut off entirely when I came undone again, and, instead, I moaned loudly, not bothering to quiet myself.  
After I came back to reality from my second orgasm, it appeared as if Hunter was beginning to struggle; his movements were quickly losing their grace, and his brow was furrowed, despite the ecstasy on his face. It was my turn to play games with him, and so I leaned up and nipped his lip, using my free hand to trace the skin of his back. As soon as my nails dug into him, he buried himself in me entirely, coming undone himself. He tossed his head back, moaning my name as his orgasm wracked his body. Finally, he leaned down to kiss me, cupping my face in his free hand, and he said, “Amelia Rose, I love you so much.”  
Completely out of nowhere, I burst into tears, sobs shaking my exhausted body. Hunter, panicked from my reaction, quickly pulled out and cleaned up. “Amelia, what’s wrong?” He asked, lying next to me, and pulling me close to him, my head resting on his chest.   
At first, all I could do was cry; no intelligible words were coming to my tongue, so I just continued to cry, soaking his bare chest for a while. When I finally felt calm enough to speak, I said, “I feel it. I feel how much you love me… It’s a new feeling.”  
Hunter chuckled a little, likely at his initial panic, and kissed the top of my head. “I’m glad. Because I do; I do love you. The fact you said you felt it… Well, that just makes my heart soar. I want you to feel loved, you deserve it – and I’m the lucky guy who gets to make you feel that way.”   
“I’m the lucky one,” I started. “How many other twenty-year-old men would step up and love a girl with a mess of a life like mine?”   
“You haven’t had it easy, that’s for sure, but just know I’m going to be here until you tell me to go,” he said, and kissed my head again. “Even then, I’m not sure I would go.”  
Speechless, I twisted myself so that I could kiss him, soft but deep, and he pulled the blanket up over us. Both of us spent, we lay there in silence, skin on skin, just enjoying each other’s body heat, until I fell into a deep sleep, a small smile on my face.


End file.
